Flower Among Deserts
by AnimaAmore
Summary: GaaSakuSaso. The Sand brothers, Gaara and Sasori, have had perfect, boring lives. However, that changes when their dad decides they're old enough to get a bride- but they never thought they'd be competing againts each other for the same girl.
1. PROLOGUE

_**Flower Among Deserts **_

'**Sup people! So, this is my second fanfic, first one is called "**_**The Truth**_**" it was a SakuIta this one is SasoSakuGaa. Please enjoy! **

**PROLOGUE**

Suna, 10 years ago 

"I'm telling you, Sasori, your puppets stand no chance against my sand," a six-year-old Gaara growled at his older brother, seven-year-old Sasori.

"And I'm telling _you_, Gaara, that my puppets are better than your sand," answered the other boy in an impatient huff.

"We'll see about that," growled the other boy, and attacked.

Gaara's sand shot out and caught Sasori's wrist, pinning them beside his head against a wall. Gaara smirked victoriously. "You can't control your puppets without using hand seals." He crossed his arms and smirked at his fuming brother. "I win."

"Actually, Gaara," Sasori responded, a slow, wicked smile easing into his face. Gaara's smirked vanished and was replaced with a frown. When Sasori smiled like that it was never good.

Sure enough, a miniature puppet, just a little bigger than the hand span of Sasori's hand, fell from the sky and aimed a sharp, glinting claw at Gaara's throat. The sand around Gaara's feet divided in two, one part making a protective barrier between the boy and the puppet and the other part lashing at the threat to destroy it.

The sand caught the miniature puppet easily, surrounding it in a hard, spinning ball. Gaara smiled again, held out his hand at the ball of sand and looked at Sasori, who was glaring daggers at him. "Sand is better," he said before turning back to the task at hand and clenching his fist. "SAND COFFIN!"

The ball of sand wavered and contracted violently, crushing the defenseless little puppet inside it to smithereens.

"You'll pay for that, Gaara," growled Sasori. "That was a prototype."

"What's a proto-whatever?"

"Tell you after I kill you." And Sasori vanished in a puff of smoke, making the surprised little brother realize it was a shadow clone. "Up here, Gaara!" Gaara looked up at a shadow that launched itself at him and he prepared for a counter attack.

And they were at it again.

"Father, Gaara and Sasori are fighting again," a ten-year-old Temari said as she calmly walked into her father's office.

The Kazekage sighed. When weren't they? "Thank you, Temari. You may take this case if you like." Temari smiled at her father and rushed outside to stop the fight. She was going to surprise her idiot brothers with her new wind jutsu. A nine-year-old Kankuro, upon seeing Temari run towards the patio where the two red-headed boys were fighting, grinned and followed her out. He was going to enjoy this.

The Kazekage wasn't sure what to make out of his kids. Temari, his only girl and the eldest of his kids was a potential sadist, or a tyrant; Kankuro was her sidekick and a terrible prankster, Sasori only seemed to care about proving to Gaara that puppets were superior to sand and Gaara only cared about proving Sasori wrong. Talk about a mixed-up family.

And a ninja family with jutsus to boot.

The Kazekage chuckled lightly as he heard Temari yell out her new wind jutsu and the surprised shrieks of his two youngest sons. He could also hear Kankuro roaring of laughter somewhere in the mess, too. Yes, his kids were quite a handful, but they were also good kids.

Well, most of the time they were.

Before he could think any more about his four children, a messenger hawk flew through his window and perched itself on the Kazekage's desk, patiently waiting for the man to take the message tied to his leg. The Kazekage couldn't help but compare the bird to a soldier, with it's stiff stance and fierce face.

He walked to the bird and took the message from its leg. He then reached for a pill-like treat from a cup on his desk, fed it to the bird, and walked away, opening the miniature scroll. It was a letter from some old friends of his who had moved to Konoha five years ago, when Gaara was only a few months old. He hadn't heard from them in a few years, so he was pleased to receive news about them.

_Dear Kazekage, _

_How have you been, my friend? And Kazekage too, I hear. That is great, my friend, I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. I must apologize for not being there for your ceremony, but upon our arrival to Konoha we were given three months to move in before we were sent out on a mission. _

_The mission wasn't difficult, but it was long. It took us a few weeks to finish it, then another week or so before we got back to Konoha. After that, we had to spend some time in the village, get accustomed to the people, blah, blah, blah. You know how it is. _

_Anyhow, we are all healthy, my wife sends her regards, and now I must tell you a piece of news that has brightened up my life and a proposition. Listen – or rather, _read_ – well, my friend. _

_A couple years back, my wife came with child and she gave birth to the joy of my days, my daughter Sakura. She has just recently turned four a few days back. _

_Now, here is my proposition: our families have been very good and very close friends for years, long before we all got married, and me and my wife wish to assure that our families stay that way. Our friendship shall be the our legacy to our children. But, an idea struck me the other day. What if our families married into each other? My daughter with one of your sons. We can remain connected that way. _

_Besides, your sons are the only boys I can respect and see worthy to be called my sons-in-law. However, I do not wish to take the choice away from my daughter. So how about she decides between your sons when she's older? We understand if you refuse, but please consider our offer. It would so much to us. _

_We await your answer eagerly. _

_Your friends, _

_The Harunos _

The Kazekage was astounded. Their daughter with one of his sons? He looked out his window, which overlooked his home's garden and saw his children playing tag, blissfully ignorant to the world. Hmm, why not? He shared his sentiments with the Harunos, he simply hadn't reached the same conclusion as them.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. Why not? If in the end their children didn't want to be married, they wouldn't force them into it, but it was worth a shot. He smiled. The Harunos were always one step ahead. He was sure that it wouldn't have been too long before he came to the same conclusion as soon as he found out they had a daughter.

He walked to his desk and took out a small roll of parchment paper, in which he quickly scribbled his answer. He rolled it up, secured it to the bird's leg, and sent it on his way.

As he gazed out his window, following the powerful bird until it was no more than a speck in the distance, his mind worked out how both families' life would look in the future. After all, he had given the perfect answer; only five words:

_Yes. _

_I accept your offer._

That was all it was needed to be said.


	2. Chapter 1

_**GaaSakuSaso Ch1 **_

**Wow, this is amazing! 5 reviews for the ****prologue**** is fantastic! Thanks to **_**Amethyst Darkness**_**, **_**miikodesu**_**, **_**DropDeadBabe**_**, **_**xXmysterious-unknownXx**_**, and **_**yoyoyo**_**. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it and reviewed! **

**Now, I have only two things to say:**

**1****st****, I meant to write "five" instead of "four" for Sakura's age. That means from this chapter on, Sakura is 15, Gaara is 16, Sasori is 17, Kankuro is 19 and Temari is 20. **

**2****nd****, as I said on the prologue, this is my ****second**** FanFic. My first FanFic, "**_**The Truth,**_**" is not yet finished, so it has priority over this one. However, because I got such awesome reviews on the first chapter, I'm deciding that I'm going to update the two stories simultaneously. For every one new chapter I update on "**_**The Truth**_**" I'll update one new chapter for "**_**Flower Among Deserts**_**." Just maybe not on the same day.**

**Anyhow, now that that's said let's get to what you came for: the story! **

**ENJOY AND REVIEW!**

_SUNA _

The sun was high overhead, in the middle of the sky signaling it was midday. In a room high above the village's streets, with beige walls and a wooden floor, there layed a boy on light brown bed in his late teens with messy bright red locks that nearly reached his eyes, casually holding up the paperback book he was reading with one hand and the other arm tucked comfortably behind his head.

He was barefoot, preferring the sun's natural warmth to sock's, wearing pale blue jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The boy took out his arm from behind his head to turn the page on his book before returning it to its original position, utterly immersed in the storyline.

There was a polite knock on his bedroom's door. Sasori lowered his book and raised his honey-colored eyes to look at his younger brother, Gaara, who was leaning casually against the frame with his arms crossed.

The younger sibling looked a lot like his older brother, with the same colored bright red hair which he preferred to cut short and at such spiked slightly in every direction, their bone structure was very similar and their skin was surprisingly pale for living in a desert. But Gaara also looked completely different from Sasori. His sharp eyes were a pale grey-green with thick black lines framing them, which many didn't believe was a birthmark but eyeliner but they didn't say so. He had the Chinese kanji for "love" tattooed on the left side of his forehead, his most distinguishing feature. He had no eyebrows, but that was easily forgotten as his eyes were captivating.

He was wearing a deep red V-neck t-shirt and dark brown pants with his signature white sash tied vertically across his body, holding his sand gourd.

"Gaara," Sasori greeted him with a nod of his head.

"Sasori," Gaara nodded back.

"Is there anything you need?" Sasori asked as he returned his attention to his book.

"I don't need anything," replied Gaara. "Father, on the other hand, does."

"I see," Sasori sighed as he bent the corner of the page he was reading and closing the book, setting it on the bed, beside him. He began to stretch lazily, yawning as if he had just woken up. "Do you know what he needs me for?"

Gaara shrugged, indifferent. "No, but he called us both. Maybe he has a mission for us. That's my best guess at the moment."

Sasori nodded in agreement as he sat up and swung his legs from the length of the bed to the side, feet touching the cool wooden floor. Gaara patiently waited for him as he took a deep breath, giving his body one last stretch, and exhaling as he placed his hands on either side of his body and slowly stood up.

"Alright, I'm good," Sasori said as he rubbed the back of his neck, yawning away the sleepiness that seemed to make up part of his persona. The hand that wasn't rubbing his neck was placed on his lower back, right above his hips, pushing it slightly outward to help get his blood flowing better.

Gaara stood up straight and walked into the hallway, stuffing his pant pockets with his hands with Sasori following close behind. They turned a few corners and went up some stairs, quickly arriving at their destination: the Kazekage's office.

Gaara politely knocked on the oak doors for a second time that day, opening the main door as soon as their father told them to come in. He and Sasori walked into a spacious, richly but simply furnished room with the same beige walls that adorned most of their house, naturally stopping behind the large, dark desk that took up the most room, which had a large window behind it. Bookshelves stacked high with books occupied the remaining walls. The desk was filled with papers and scrolls, with some small bottles of ink, pens, fathers and stamps organized neatly along the border of the front.

"Kazekage," Gaara said respectfully.

"Kazekage," repeated Sasori in the same tone. Every time his father called him or any of his siblings into to his office he always required his kids to call address him as Kazekage, unless otherwise stated. After all, the office was a place of work, and the Kazekage, being a shinobi village leader, insisted that his children who had become shinobi long ago address him as all others. When a shinobi was called to the Kazekage's office, it meant that there was a mission to give.

"Gaara, Sasori," welcomed their father. "Drop the title; I need to talk to you not as your Kazekage, but as your father."

"Father, then," Sasori smirked. Gaara just stayed silent as he waited for his father to elaborate.

"Well, I was thinking that all of us have been working hard lately," the man said, "and that these past few days have been too quiet for your comfort. There are no missions, and you boys are starting to look bored of all this sand." He looked at his sons, who nodded their confirmation. He smiled. "So, I was thinking that we should take a vacation!"

Gaara and Sasori were slightly taken aback. Their father, who was often known to be a workaholic, wanted them to go on a vacation? As a family? The Kazekage chuckled at their faces. Well, they were still in their "serious, business" mode, which meant that their faces were carefully masked to not show emotion. Oh, who was he kidding? They weren't ones to show much emotion anyway. He could only tell because he had been with them since their birth and therefore had learned to pick up their emotions.

"Yes, a vacation," said the Kazekage firmly. "I believe it's way past time we took one, especially as a family." He tilted his head up and raised his voice a little, sounding like the village leader he was. "It's decided, then. We leave in three days. Tell Temari and Kankuro to pack their things. Pack some warmer clothes, any other place outside of Suna will seem cold to you for the first few days."

Gaara nodded and left the office to do as he was told. Sasori, on the other hand, stayed behind. He looked at his father with a hint of suspicion. What kind of village leader, shinobi or not, left with only three days notice? Plus he already had a specific place in mind, and three days to get everyone ready was a dead giveaway that something was up.

"Father, why did you choose now to go on a vacation?" he asked carefully.

"Why, Sasori. I already told you, you guys seem bored out of your minds, plus a change in scenery won't do you any harm," replied the Kazekage innocently as he signed a paper.

"Uh-huh," Sasori mused, unconvinced. "Where are we staying, and for how long, then?"

"Well, actually, there are some friends of mine from long ago that have invited us over to stay with them for about a month or so. I think that should be enough time to get acquainted with them." He looked up and smiled at his son. "They have a daughter, you know. Pretty little thing, I hear."

Sasori rolled his eyes. Could his father be any more obvious? "Alright. So we're staying at some friends' house for a month. But where exactly are we going?"

The Kazekage grinned wickedly, warning Sasori that his father had plans he was not aware of, making him wary. "We're going to Konoha."


	3. Chapter 2

_**GaaSakuSaso Ch 2 **_

**Echo Uchiha**** Thanks **

**xXmysterious-unknown-Xx ****Thanks! I don't know hoe I came up with that, but I'm glad you like it.**

**sakuraxall ****Will do.**

**miikodesu ****No, Sakura will not have a sister. I kind of want to make her like a trophy, you know? Where there's just one "prize." Yes, I'll include as many of the other characters as I can. The more the merrier, like they say. And on the boyfriend bit, just read and see. **

**Cindy Medeiros ****You bet I'll put Shukaku in the story. I don't do POV often, but maybe I will in this story. And I can't say about GaaSaku. You'll just have to read the story and see.**

"**tired but still awake" ****Haha, thanks a lot! I really appreciate you liking my story that much, especially to the point where you'll read the update at 2am. Oh, read the bottom note too. This is for everyone but mostly for you, ok?**

**Amethyst Darkness ****Thanks! And yep, I do that a lot. Keeps my readers on their toes ;) **

**DropDeadBabe ****Thanks a lot! **

**Whew! That's a lot of reviews! I'm really grateful to all of you who wrote me something, and thanks a million for your support! This is the kind of thing that keeps my fingers typing. Anyway, I just thought I should say this: **

**I take requests. If you want to see a pairing in the story (say, NaruHina) or want a character to do something (Sasuke liking tomatoes is popular), I'll add it to the story if it fits and if I want.**

**I'm not married to what I wrote on the last chapter. Although "**_**The Truth**_**" is my priority, I'm going to update both stories as I see fit. For example, if I get more reviews on "**_**Flower Among Deserts**_**" than I do on the other one, I'll update this story first because I received more support. Support does wonders for a person. Plus, it also depends on when inspiration strikes me. It's hard to write a good story when you don't even know what you're writing about.**

**Ah…that was long. Sorry for the extra long author's note, but you gotta write what you gotta write. Anyhow, here's what you want – the story! **

**ENJOY AND REVIEW! **

_KONOHA _

_3 days later_

"Sakura!" Mrs. Haruno yelled up the stairs. "Sakura, hurry up! Your game starts in ten minutes!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Sakura yelled as she rushed frantically from on end of her room to the other, grabbing her soccer equipment and stuffing them in a lime-colored bag. She and her team were playing a game of soccer with the other teams, a six-on-six match. Sasuke and Naruto were on her team, naturally, and they had teamed up with Hinata, Shino and Kiba. They were playing against Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, Rock Lee and Neji. She pulled at her white t-shirt lower on her apple-green little shorts, trying to straighten the folds as she thought about the match.

It was going to be a tough game, she thought amusedly as she rushed down the stairs. Particularly because the Hyuga prodigy was on the opposing team. Man, that guy was hard to get past. But today was the day where she'd beat him at his own game, whatever that was. And Lee was fast! Well, duh, his taijutsu training. The point was that she'd win. Flames ignited in her eyes as she clenched her fist in determination. Oh yeah, she was pumped up!

"Sakura! Damn it, girl quit daydreaming and get moving, or I'm not telling you your surprise!" Her mother yelled impatiently.

Sakura's head whipped around to look in the direction her mother's voice came from, the momentary flame of passion gone. Three days ago, her mother told her that she had a surprise for her due on that day, and Sakura had practically done nothing short of bribery to find out what the surprise was. She had failed, of course. But today was the day of the surprise, plus she had an important game to attend to, so she decided to just wait. Patience was a virtue, after all.

"Yes, mother," Sakura called as she flew down the stairs, skipping every other step until she arrived the front entrance of her house. "I'm leaving now, mother!" She laughed as she tied her unique pink hair into a ponytail on the upper part of the back of her head.

"Don't you get cheeky with me, missy," her mother teasingly threatened with the wooden spoon she was making supper with. She making a fancy dinner, that much Sakura could see. She was making a lot of food, using the freshest ingredients and she was making supper at four in the afternoon. Sakura supposed that meant having company over, but she hadn't heard anything about that. Perhaps it had to do with the surprise, although Sakura couldn't quite think of a reason why inviting people over for dinner was a surprise. "This is what you get for staying up so late reading those medical scrolls of yours."

"Oh, come on, mum," Sakura replied as she slipped on her cleats and tied them. "I only took a nap."

"A three-hour nap," clarified her mother. "But anyway, get moving!"

"I'm going, I'm going," Sakura said. She reached for the doorknob of her house and twisted her wrist, opening the door to the warm afternoon air. "'Bye!"

"Wait, Sakura," her mother called quickly before her daughter disappeared.

"Yes?" Sakura stopped, playfully leaving her leg in midair halfway through the door.

"The surprise I told you about…" her mother begun, and Sakura's green eyes sparkled. This was really bad timing for her mother to tell her, with her being late and all, but this was what Sakura had eagerly anticipated since she found out about the surprise.

"I'm sure you've noticed a lot of things by now," Mrs. Haruno continued. "Such as, I've been cleaning the house more thoroughly, I've prepared the guest rooms, and, of course, I'm making supper in the afternoon." Sakura nodded. It was true; she had noticed her mother working in their house more often.

"Well, the surprise is that we're having some company over. They're from Suna, and the father of the family is a very good, very close friend of your father and I since more or less our Academy years." Sakura's eyes widened. That was some friendship, to have lasted so long and through such a distance.

"The whole family is coming over?" Sakura inquired, interested.

"Yes. Aside from the father, there are four kids. The eldest is the Temari, she's the only girl. She's twenty now, I believe. Next is Kankuro. Nineteen. Then comes Sasori and Gaara, seventeen and sixteen respectively. They're all very nice people, especially the two younger ones." When Sakura shot her a look that said that she was being suspicious, mainly because her green identical eyes gleamed wickedly for a second, she quickly added, "So I hear."

"I see," Sakura mumbled, more to herself. She was tempted to ask about the mother, but she decided against it. If her mother didn't mention her, then maybe it was better not to ask. "When will they be arriving?"

"Well, it takes three days to make the trip between the two villages, so it depends at what time they left three days ago. But I don't think they'll be that long. They should be here any minute now."

"Well, I'd love to stay and welcome them properly, but if I don't leave now my team will have my hide and Ino will never let me live it down." She pecked her mother on the cheek and disappeared in a rush of pink, white and green. "'Bye, mum!"

Mrs. Haruno sighed as she lightly shook her head, a smile on her lips. Her daughter was precious, truly precious. If there were more people like her, then there'd be less wars, this she was sure of.

"Hmm… She's quite the lively girl, isn't she, Momo-chan?"

Mrs. Haruno, or otherwise known as Momoko Haruno, turned complacently and smiled at the dark-haired man who had appeared leaning against the wall beside the front door of her house in a small twister of wind and sand. From the corner of her eye, she saw four more figures appear in the same manner, and her smile widened.

"Kanata-kun," she greeted warmly. "Or should I say, Kazekage-sama."


	4. Chapter 3

_**GaaSakuSaso Ch3 **_

**Echo Uchiha**** Thanks! **

**Fruitloop11 ****Thanks to you too **

**alichaSxS ****I'm glad, and here it is! **

**xXmysterious-unknownXx ****Thanks and here it is! Hope you enjoy it **

**miikosedu ****Well, both Gaara and Sakura aren't exactly known for being patient people. But who knows? Read and find out. **

**Amethyst Darkness ****Haha, thanks! Don't worry, I'm not planning to quit this story anytime soon. **

"**Not tired just awake" ****Ahaha, I do find it a little odd, but not weird. Whatever makes you happy. And thanks for the vote of confidence! Really appreciate it; and your 'ramblings' too. :) **

**DropDeadBabe ****Yep, I do. You can't say that they don't keep you interested, though. Don't worry, read this chapter because your wish is about to come true. **

**NadeshikoEverdeenHimeSama ****Wow, you have a long name. Love it! And thanks for your suggestions. **

**Ah, that was great! I really do love reviews. Thanks to you all who commented/reviewed. I really appreciated it. Also, sorry for the late update. I already had the inspiration for it and the words for it, I just didn't know how to end it. However, it may go a little long so I may end it before the original ending I had in mind. But now I have my chapter, so READ, REVIEW AND ENJOY! **

"Would you like something warm to drink? I know that Konoha's weather must seem cold to you compared to Suna. We have tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk…" Mrs. Haruno trailed off, waiting for her guests' to answer as she motioned them over to the family room where they could sit comfortably and relax after their journey.

"I'm fine," Gaara nodded respectfully at her as he sat on a maroon leather couch. "But thank you."

"So am I," Sasori answered as he sat beside his brother, giving Mrs. Haruno a small smile. "Perhaps later, though, if the offer still stands."

"Of course!" Mrs. Haruno chuckled, amused. "You are our guests. As long as you stay here, you can eat and drink whatever you want, whenever you want, as much as you want."

"Sah-_weet_!" Kankuro grinned widely as he plopped down unceremoniously beside Sasori, forcing both him and Gaara to scoot over to the other end of the couch to make room for their bigger older brother. "I would like some hot chocolate, please, ma'am," he smiled cheerfully at their host.

"Sure," Mrs. Haruno smiled warmly at the boy before turning to Temari and the Kazekage. "And you?"

The Kazekage motioned for his daughter, who had found a seat for one person built in the same style and leather as the couch her brothers were sitting in as part of a set to sit in, to go first. "What kinds of tea do you have?" she inquired respectfully.

"Why, my dear, we have lots!" Mrs. Haruno rolled her eyes with a fond smile on her lips as she recalled Sakura's latest obsession – no, not obsession, said Sakura, _fascination_ – with teas and their healing properties. She returned her attention back to Temari. "We have mint, rosemary, green tea, orange, ginger spice, apple cider, lavender, vanilla, eucalypt, freesia… The list goes on and on."

Temari smiled at Mrs. Haruno. She liked tea, no one could deny that, and meeting someone with such a collection of different types and flavors was both intriguing and refreshingly surprising. "I'll take some green tea, please."

"And I'll have a coffee," the Kazekage said from where he was standing. He raised his left hand at her, palm up. "Care for a hand?"

Mrs. Haruno grinned at him as her eyes narrowed teasingly. "Get real, Kanata-kun," she chided. "I'm not falling for that trick."

The Sand siblings looked at each other in confusion. What trick? Mrs. Haruno, upon noticing their confusion, decided to explain to them what she was referring to. "You see," she began, "your father was quite the prankster when we were younger. He loved to use his ninja techniques to create new pranks that no one else could do, and he couldn't get in trouble as much because the purpose of a ninja is to do one's mission as inconspicuous as possible. I fell victim to his little pranks several times before I learned to pick up clues to help me know when he was being serious and when he was pulling a prank." She walked over to the smirking Kazekage, who still had his hand outstretched, his eyes twinkling with old mischief. She pointed to his right eyebrow. "See how his eyebrow is raised a little more than the other?" The siblings nodded. "He only does that when he's planning something." Sasori, just like his siblings, looked back on his life as he searched for proof about this new revelation. It didn't take long. As he navigated his memory, he found the memory of the events three days ago when their father told them of his idea of taking a vacation in Konoha. Indeed, as Sasori interrogated his father, his right eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

As the other siblings found further proof of their father's habit, they grinned and smirked outright at their father as they committed this new piece of information to memory. This was definitely going to be used in the future. The Kazekage sighed dramatically as he shook his head at his kids.

"Really, Momo-chan, was that necessary?" he asked her. "Now my kids have something to use against me."

"As they should," Mrs. Haruno responded easily as she shrugged. "Just be grateful it's this one little thing. You wouldn't believe how much dirt my daughter has on me."

"Oh," the Kazekage smirked devilishly at her, nearing his head to hers as a brother might do to a sister just to annoy her. "What have you been up to, Momo-chan?"

"None of your beeswax," Mrs. Haruno hit him in the head with her fist, lightly. "And nothing of the sort you're thinking of."

"What was I thinking of?"

"Knowing you, you're probably thinking something embarrassing."

"Dang, you're good."

"Dang, you haven't changed." They laughed. She winked at the Sand siblings before leaving the room to go into the kitchen to get their drinks, leaving the Kazekage with his hand in the air. "One hot chocolate, one green tea and one coffee, coming up!"

The Kazekage chuckled as he found an empty seat near Temari, and sat down as his kids gave him speculative looks. It had been such a long time since they had seen their father so relaxed, so at ease and laughing so carefree that they were beginning to think he had forgotten how _not_ to be so serious and uptight. The Kazekage, upon meeting their gazes, sat up straight and spoke to them, his voice heavy with authority. "Now, you see? That's what I call a good memory. You could learn a thing or two from the Haruno's, kids. Momo – er, Mrs. Haruno – has a great memory; see how she so quickly picked up such subtle clues? I've told you guys many times that a great ninja memorizes everything, even what seems to be small and unimportant. It's usually those little things that turn out being dead giveaways."

Sasori, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari nodded. Their father had repeatedly taught them the qualities that make a great ninja, but seeing an example was inspiring and helped them understand what their father was saying better.

"If you think Momoko's memory is good, you would be surprised at how good her daughter's is," the Kazekage continued after a pause. "Put it this way: if the average person can memorize an average of 80% of something, a shinobi can memorize 87%. Momoko can memorize 92%, and her daughter can apparently memorize 98%." He smiled. "She's got nothing short of a prodigal mind."

"I'll say," Mrs. Haruno said as walked into the room, carrying a tray holding a big mug and three smaller ones on little white saucers, warm steam rising from their openings and a big plate of freshly baked cookies, from strawberry biscuits to madelines and the famous chocolate chips. "Which is why she has so much dirt on me. She can remember a lot of things from the time she was a baby, things that even _I_ can't remember." She chuckled as she set the tray down on a coffee table made of glass, bordered by caramel-colored wood and held up by metal legs in the middle of the room. She handed each person the drink they asked for, the big mug for Kankuro and two little ones for Temari and her father, before sitting down on the only seat left, a wooden rocking chair by the window with a small mug of her own. She took a tea of her tea and motioned to the plate of cookies. "Please, eat as many as you want."

"Don't mind if I do," Kankuro grinned as he snatched the biggest biscuit in the plate and took a big bite, with lots of gusto.

"Pig," Gaara coughed into his hand not-so-subtly. Temari tried to hide her grin behind her mug as she took a sip of her tea.

Normally, Kankuro would have reacted to a comment like that which would end up in a fight, but he was enjoying himself so much he simply shrugged it off and continued eating. Gaara shook his head and leaned back on his seat studying the cozy room as his father and Temari enthusiastically conversed with Mrs. Haruno and Kankuro continued to pig out.

The room was a light blue, a shade somewhere between turquoise and teal, and it gave off a very calming, very soothing feeling. The chairs they were seating it were maroon, a very natural and deep color which nicely balanced the light colors of the room. Just like in their house in Suna, the floor was made of wood, but of a much darker shade. There were two large windows on two of the walls, which filled the room with a cheerful and warm atmosphere. Most of the furniture was made of wood, and it was either white or brown, Gaara noted. There was a little base filled with flowers, he couldn't tell which kind, on a table by Mrs. Haruno, there were a couple pictures hanging on the opposite wall, there was a painting behind him hanging over the couch he was sitting in. It was a very nice room, humble but homey. He decided he licked this place.

As Gaara came to this conclusion, Sasori was intently studying the small collection of pictures on white table beside him and the ones hanging on the wall across from him. He instantly recognized Mrs. Haruno, with her elbow-length white hair, porcelain-pale skin and green eyes in some of the pictures. There was also a red-headed man among the pictures. His skin was dark from the sun, his smile infectious and his grey eyes both forgiving, loving, friendly, inviting and dangerous despite the air of danger, mystery, authority and pride that seemed so evident even in the pictures.

As Sasori continued to take in each picture, he found that although Mrs. Haruno and the man he assumed to be Mr. Haruno didn't appear in every picture, a girl did. There was a picture of her in a cradle, sleeping only like a baby can. There was a picture of her as toddler, holding on to a brown cat plushy as she smiled wide for the camera. The pictures went on, each showing the little girl at a different phase in her life. But what really caught his attention was the girl itself.

She had soft, deep pink hair, pale, creamy and flawless skin, big, round, intelligent emerald-like eyes, rosy lips that formed the ghost of a pout even as she smiled wide, and like the pictures of Mr. Haruno, the camera seemed to capture the aura the girl emitted. There was freedom, knowledge, wisdom, danger, power, understanding, joy, and so many other things each picture of the girl showed.

Sasori smiled unconsciously to himself as he stared at the newest picture of the girl up-to-date. She was about his age in the picture; she had her hair held up on a side ponytail, hairs that got loose framing her sweaty face, her cheeks flushed, her green shirt and white shorts stained and filthy, scrapes and little cuts on her arms and legs. But despite her appearance which obviously showed some sort of struggle, she was grinning victoriously at the camera with her hand making a 'V' over her head as her other hand pointed to a gold medal around her neck. She had one foot firmly on the ground supporting her weight while the other was propped on top of a soccer ball.

The picture spoke for itself.

And Sasori was more than intrigued with whom he figured out to be Sakura Haruno.

"Does Sakura-san play soccer, by any chance?" he asked Mrs. Haruno politely.

She looked in his direction and nodded, not at all disturbed by the small interruption. In fact, she was wondering when they were going to inquire about her. "Yes, she does," she answered. "She's not in a team, she just likes to play with her friends and teammates when they've had enough training, have time and have some energy left." She sipped her tea. "She's playing a game right now, so that's why she's not here."

"I see," Sasori responded. Gaara, knowing Sasori better than anyone, noticed the interest Sasori had developed in the girl. And because Sasori doesn't really care about much, much less girls despite the hordes that follow him around, Gaara immediately became interested too.

"Could you give us directions to the soccer field?" he asked. "Sasori and I haven't really played many sports before, and we're interested in seeing how to play soccer. Plus, we'd be more than happy to escort your daughter home, since it will be getting dark soon."

Mrs. Haruno and the Kazekage looked at each other with knowing smiles for a brief moment while Sasori just shot Gaara a look. Not that he complained against what Gaara said, but he hated that his little brother was so meddlesome. She looked at Sasori and Gaara and said, "Why, sure. How nice of you boys; I'm sure Sakura would be happy to meet such gentlemen as yourself." She cleared her throat. "Go east about two kilometers, and then turn south for one. If you reach a bookstore with a Buddha statue on the front, you've gone too far. If you stand on the inn's roof, you'll be able to see a park to the north. That park is where the soccer field is."

"Thank you," Sasori said, standing up. Gaara did the same, and with a court nod to their family and their host, they left the house. Sasori couldn't explain why, but he felt the strong urge to meet the girl. Gaara couldn't wait to meet the girl that caused his brother to act so out of character.

Unknown to each other, they were slowly but surely developing feelings for a girl they hadn't even met, even if those feelings were just curiosity and intrigue. All that was left now was for Suna's redheaded Sand siblings to meet Konoha's cherry blossom – also known as Sakura Haruno.

The future was in the hands of destiny now.


	5. Chapter 4

_**GaaSakuSaso Ch3 **_

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"Naruto! Pass!" Sakura called to her blond teammate as she rushed to the other end of the field. He had just stolen it from Choji, who had been distracted by a street vendor selling barbequed beef.

"You got it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he kicked the ball high over everyone's heads to Sasuke, who had sneaked behind the opposing team's defense.

"Damn it!" Ino yelled as she saw Sasuke effortlessly catch the ball on his chest, letting it drop to his feet before dribbling the ball to the other side of the field. _What are they up to? _Ino wondered as she noticed that Sakura had called the pass but Sasuke had the ball.

"Damn Uchiha, you are using your youth unjustly!" cried Lee as he unsuccessfully tried to steal the ball from the raven-haired boy.

"How so?" Sasuke inquired as he lifted the ball with a flick of his foot, bouncing it from knee to knee as he smirked at Konoha's self-proclaimed 'Green Beast.'

"Because you are not sharing the ball! Sharing is the base of youth!"

"Wasn't trust the base of youth last week?" Kiba joined in the conversation as he tried to sidestep Tenten, who mirrored his movements perfectly not allowing him to get open.

"The base of youth is made up of many components! Trust and sharing are just two of them!" Lee cheered as he launched for the ball again, missing by millimeters. He looked at Sasuke with fire in his eyes. "Ha! I almost had it that time! Beware, Uchiha, I am closing in on you!"

"Sure," Sasuke half-chuckled as he rolled his eyes and kicked the ball between his legs to Shino, who in his ever-persistent silence had snuck up behind Lee.

"What!" Lee cried as he realized the trick, his face tainted red with embarrassment from falling into such a simple move.

"Choji!" Ino called to her teammate, thinking fast. "Shino has shrimp skewers with lemon juice and potato chips! He says that if anyone can steal the ball from him, he'll share it with that person!"

"Wait –" Shino protested, but he was overwhelmed by a huge green monster with identical swirls on each of his cheeks and fire in his eyes.

"_YAAAH!_" Choji let out his battle cry as he all but trampled Shino into the ground. "Where's the ball? I need to steal that ball!"

"You dumbass," Neji, the Hyuuga prodigy who had been keeping tabs on Naruto growled at him. "Hinata has it. Shino passed the ball to her while you had visions of shrimp skewers prancing before your eyes."

"Why did they pass it to the goalie?" Before Neji could answer, Ino and Rock Lee had scampered off in the direction of Sakura's team, as the ball slowed down as it lost its momentum on the grass.

"You should have kicked it harder, Shino!" Ino called back gleefully. "`Cause I'm gonna score!"

Lee reached the ball first, but seeing as Ino hadn't touched the ball for some time and hadn't had a chance to try to score, he gallantly passed the ball to her while shouting encouragement.

"Sorry Hinata," Ino grinned as her right leg lifted behind her. "Nothing personal, but it's my moment of glory!" And her leg swung down in an arc, kicking the ball as hard as she could, making the air whistle as the ball whizzed past, aiming for the upper right corner of the net.

"Sorry Ino-chan," Hinata said, unruffled as she took her stance. "But I'm afraid this is _my_ moment." Just as the ball was about to enter the net, Hinata begun spinning wildly, her chakra lifting up dust and swatting the ball away.

"Hey! No fair! Didn't we say that the players can't use jutsus or enhance their abilities with chakra? Taijutsu only!" Tenten fumed from the middle of the field.

"Actually," Kiba grinned beside her, "goalies can. Technically they're not players."

"Woot!" Sakura grinned triumphantly as she allowed the ball to pass her before dribbling it closer to the other team's net, where Shikamaru shaking his head and mumbling about his rotten luck of having to be goalie. "_Shanaro!_" Sakura kicked the ball and with her super-strength, the ball was inside the net before Shikamaru could even reach for it.

Sakura's team cheered as they jogged to their side of the field, high-fiving each other.

"That was genius, Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled at her as he draped an arm around her shoulders and punched the air above his head with the other arm. "We had them right where we wanted them!"

"Hn," Sasuke nodded his agreement at her. That was all the appraisal she would ever get from him, so she beamed.

"Nice going, Sakura-chan," Kiba and Hinata called to her, Hinata smiling shyly at her while Kiba skipped around her in an odd victory dance. Kiba's little white brown-eared dog, Akamaru, barked approvingly from the sidelines as his tail wagged. Sakura laughed. Shino said nothing, but Sakura could see the faint traces of a smile, however small, behind his jacket's collar.

"Nice going to everyone!" Sakura giggled as she swung her arms around Naruto and Sasuke's shoulders. "But especially you, Hinata! You didn't let your shyness get in the way! I'm proud of you."

"Yeah! Three cheers for Hinata!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically while Hinata tried to hide her alarmingly red face with her hands.

Meanwhile, as Sakura's team cheered for Hinata, the other was chiding Shikamaru for the lazy bum he is and not paying attention; Ino with her constant drama talk of her life being over, Choji muttering about owing him lunch, Lee about how unyouthful it was to not try to stop the ball, Tenten sighing as she massaged her temples because they were all so noisy, and Neji saying nothing but simply glaring at Shikamaru, who was calling everyone troublesome and saying the goalie position was too.

"Hey!" Naruto called the others, and instantly all eyes fell on him. He smiled wickedly at them, allowing the silence to stretch until Sasuke smacked him lightly on the back of the head and told him to stop screwing around. After muttering a brief insult under his breath, Naruto looked at the other team and said, "Game over." He lifted his left arm and tapped the wristwatch that was tied at his wrist. "There are only two seconds left. Give it up, just putting the ball into play would take more than that."

Everyone in the opposing team glared at the blond, who didn't seem bothered by them, and finally sighed. "Fine. You win," Neji reluctantly said, looking away.

"Aw, come on Neji," Sakura chided him teasingly. "You really can't expect to win everything." Neji said nothing, which caused everyone to laugh again. He just kept on glaring, but a ghost of a smile was evident on his lips.

"That was some match, wasn't it Sasori?" a strange voice said from the sidelines.

"Indeed, Gaara, that was quite spectacular," another answered.

Konoha's young shinobi turned to see two read-haired boys land on the sidelines from the roof of a nearby building and approach them with small smiles and admiring eyes. They weren't from Konoha, obviously, but the clothing they wore identified them from Suna.

"Ah!" Sakura exclaimed as her eyes widened in recognition, which caused her teammates to look at her inquiringly. "Are you two the youngest sons of the Kazekage?"

"That we are. I'm Sasori, and this is my youngest brother Gaara," Sasori said, waving to himself and his brother as he introduced each one. "You must be Sakura Haruno."

"I am," Sakura proudly answered as she stepped towards them to shake their hands. "Welcome to Konohagakure. I'm sorry I wasn't home to welcome you, but we weren't sure at what time you would arrive and me and my friends were planning this match for some time." She smiled. "Plus I didn't even know you were coming until about three hours ago."

Sasori smirked as he shook her hand. "No worries. We didn't know we were coming until six days ago – three to get ready, and three to make the trip." Then, just to see what kind of reaction she would make, he tugged her hand toward him, causing her to lose her balance at the unexpected movement and step so close to him that her nose reached his chin. She blushed as his pale green eyes locked into her deep bright ones. "Thank you for the warm welcome," Sasori said and pecked her on the cheek. "It was the best one I've received."

"Hey!" Naruto growled as he grabbed Sakura's other wrist and tugged her back. "Who do you think you are? Don't you kiss Sakura!" Sasori smirked widely in amusement as he raised his hands in surrender.

"I assure you, I meant no offence."

"Weather you meant it or not, you should know better!"

"Naruto, that's enough!" Sakura snapped, not unkindly. Naruto glanced at her for a moment before glaring at the golden-eyed redhead and releasing her wrist. Gaara stepped forward then, coughing politely into his fist. All eyes turned to him.

"I apologize for my brother's behavior," he began. "I assure you that he meant no offence, he just…ah…sometimes likes to test new the girls he meets." When twelve pairs of eyes gazed at him not understanding, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I don't know _why_, I just know he does."

"Well, he can –" Naruto started to say while he crossed his arms, but was cut off by Sasuke slapping the back of his head.

"Knock it off, idiot."

"What the hell, Sasuke? You feel the same way I do, so don't you start pretending that you don't!"

"Hn."

"Agh! Stop saying that!"

"Saying what?"

"That stupid 'hn' thing you do! It's infuriating!"

"Hey, look at that. Naruto said a five syllable word. Congratulations, dobe."

"Sasuke-teme! I'll slaughter you!"

"Not even in your dreams, dobe."

"I bet five on Sasuke," Kiba said softly, not helpfully.

"Ten on Naruto," Neji added, taking a ten out of his pocket.

"If we're gonna bet, fifteen on Sasuke!" Ino said cheerfully as she joined the forming circle.

"F-fifteen on N-Naruto…" Hinata ventured, her cheeks still tinted red.

"Hinata! I knew I could count on you!" Naruto faced away from Sasuke to grin at her and hug her, since she was within arms reach. This caused Hinata to blush furiously.

"Let go of my cousin, you moron!" Neji snarled as he grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and pulled her away from Naruto's grasp.

"What you cousin does is none of you business, Hyuga!"

"Actually it does," Neji scoffed.

"So…" Tenten said as she scratched the back of her head, looking at the two boys and the blushing girl. "Does this mean that the fight is no longer between Naruto and Sasuke? Because if Neji is replacing Sasuke, I'm betting for him."

"If that's the case, I move my five to Naruto," Kiba chuckled as his placed his hands behind his head and grinned wolfishly.

"Hey, Choji! Shikamaru! Who're you betting on?" Ino hollered to her two teammates, who were sitting a little away.

"First find out who's fighting," Choji answered between mouthfuls of chips that Shikamaru had saved for him in his pocket.

"I don't bet," Shikamaru said as he stifled a yawn.

"Party poopers," Ino pouted.

"Well, I'd say this is an interesting bunch," Sasori mused as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"Someone, please kill me," Sakura groaned as she covered her eyes with her hand. Her friends could be so embarrassing sometimes!

"Now, why would you want that?" Sasori purred in her ear as he casually lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulders, giving her arm a light squeeze.

"Um…" Sakura couldn't answer properly. This really was unexpected. Sasori just smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he tried to contain his laugh at her face. It was such an open book! Plus that blush on her cheeks was so lovely…

"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to touch Sakura?" Naruto whipped his head around to glare at Sasori.

"Actually, you said not to kiss her," Sasori smirked at him.

"Well, you can't touch her either!"

"Naruto! _Enough!_" a very red-faced Sakura yelled at the blond. She turned her embarrassed gaze from her friends to the Suna siblings. "I apologize for my friends, especially that blond idiot; they just get carried away sometimes."

Before Sasori could answer, Gaara smoothly stepped in between them and gave Sakura a small smile of reassurance. "No need to apologize, Sakura-san," he said. "Your friends are very interesting, we've never seen such a…_lively_ group."

"Sometimes they're too lively if you ask me," Sakura muttered as she gazed at the hem of her shirt, finding Gaara's penetrating gaze a little unsettling and…overwhelming with confidence.

"Ah, but they make life interesting that way, don't they?" Gaara smiled wisely. Sakura couldn't help but nod in agreement.

A few seconds of silence followed before Sasuke "hn'ed" just because he was bored and Naruto began spazzing at him again, which caused everyone to replace their bets. Sakura merely shook her head at them and sighed. There was a fine line between being lively and being childish. She wasn't sure which one her friends fitted into. However, as she looked at her lifelong friends, she couldn't help but smile. There was no doubt that they were a bunch of goofs, but they were _her_ goofs.

"Should we head back now?" she asked the Sand siblings after a few more seconds. "My mother has been preparing a meal in honor of your arrival, and I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate us being late."

"Of course," Sasori said while Gaara just nodded. "Tell your friends it was a pleasure to, well, not meet them but encounter them." Sakura giggled and nodded. Sasori smiled at her once more before turning on his heel and walking back the way he came, Gaara and Sakura falling easily into step with him.

"Ah, that's right," Gaara said after they had taken only a few paces. "We didn't introduce each other properly, Sakura-san." He stepped in front of Sakura and held out his hand. "I am Gaara no Sabaku, although my brother and I are also known as Akasuna instead of Sabaku."

Sakura gripped his hand and he was surprised at how warm and soft her hand was. They shook hands but he didn't let go of hers, amazed at how strong her hold but how delicate her bones were. "Red Sand?" she smiled at him. "Let me guess, your hair?"

"Among other things," Sasori allowed, eying their joined hands with a hint of disdain. Gaara, remembering Sasori's little stunt, decided that he wasn't going to be bested by his brother. There was just something so uniquely appealing about this pink-haired girl, and he wasn't going to let his brother get ahead of him by leaving an interesting first impression. Two could play at that game, although Gaara would counter his brother's move with a completely different one, something to set his mark apart from his.

"Let's get along, Cherry Blossom of Konohagakure," he smirked gently at her, lifting her hand as he bowed before her and kissing her each of her knuckles, his eyes closed in reverence. "I hope we get to know each other well." His eyes opened and his sea-green eyes met her emerald-apple ones, and she felt captured. There was no escape from those eyes, and she felt a shot of electricity run through her spine, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

Gaara, upon seeing the effect he had on the girl, smiled and released her hand. As Sakura unfroze and began marching briskly towards her home, her face matching her hair, Gaara couldn't help but meet Sasori's glare and smile victoriously at him before going after her.

_So, this is a challenge, isn't it Gaara? _Sasori thought as looked after the other two. He smiled to himself. _Well, we'll see who will win. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Although I'm sure you do too. This will certainly be interesting. Ah, Sakura, what have you done to us? _

He walked after his brother and the mysterious pink-haired, green0eyed girl that had captured both his and his brother's interest.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5 **_

**Hello, my lovely, lovely readers! **

**I must apologize for the extremely delayed update, but I wasn't at fault! I had a "Net Error Type 2" in my account that didn't let me see, much less update, either of my stories. But now that's fixed, so here's the new chapter. **

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**EndlessFlame911**** I know, right? They're a hoot and a half! Actually, I just wanted to make Gaara more calm and polite because that fits his personality more and Sasori has the looks for the wild, risk-taking dude; plus the contrast will add to the story later on. However, I like your idea better so I'm partially burrowing it. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! **

**NadeshikoEverdeenHimeSama**** Haha, don't worry, the goalies **_**are**_** part of the team! I just meant that they don't "play" as in running around trying to score and steal the ball from the opponents. And yes, I thought the betting was very like those guys and also adds to how childish and friendly they are with each other. And yep, Sasori and Gaara are different so Sakura has two different types to choose from (maybe). Ohh, I like that genius bit, haha. Thanks! **

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As the trio made their way to their destination, Sakura had relaxed around the Sand brothers and had begun to point out different places of Konoha, from her favorite restaurants and her favorite dishes they served to other stores that made her favorites list. She also included other places and stores that she found interesting and thought might interest the boys.

Gaara and Sasori patiently listened to her, enjoying her vivid descriptions and reasons for showing them what she did. They were also impressed at how knowledgeable she was to know so many places in her village so well; they had known many people from many villages who knew only a few places aside from their own homes and the training grounds. They also were surprised at how well much they enjoyed her constant chattering and thoughtfulness despite being total strangers. Although she mostly showed them her favorite places, she also made little side trips to show them what she thought might be good places for them, and she was dead-on. The boys didn't know if she could either read people very well or it was all a coincidence.

They didn't mind which one it was. All they knew was that they were happy with her and having her share part of herself with them so easily and so readily.

"Don't worry about remembering all these places right away," Sakura smiled at them once she had finished. They were now leaving the shopping area and the part the villagers jokingly called "downtown" because it was so busy, and entering the part of the village were most homes were. "They are easy to find since each place serves as an indicator to where the others are. Plus you'll have enough time to find them."

Sasori smoothly reached for her hand and grasped it tightly in his larger one. He smiled at her, a small crooked smile. "I hope so Sakura. It would be a shame to waste the time we have."

Sakura blushed lightly at Sasori's straightforwardness. Gaara, who was standing on the other side of the emerald-eyed girl and had gotten the double-meaning his impulsive brother had implied, took her other hand just as smoothly and gently held it in his. "I completely agree, Sasori," he said, not looking at his brother but at Sakura as he spoke. "We shouldn't be _wasting time_ when we have so much to do and learn."

While Sakura was looking at Gaara speak, a darker blush evident on her face from the contact with Gaara, Sasori raised an eyebrow at him over her head. Apparently, Gaara wasn't the only one fund of double-meanings.

The tree had stopped walking by now and Sakura, completely oblivious that the boys were talking about her and were having a silent communication between them, glanced from on to the other, unsure what was going on and unsure what to do. They looked so serious, as if they were discussing something important, but they had to get going and she didn't want to be rude…

"Erm…guys?" she finally ventured, a little shy. "We have to get going. I'm sure our families wouldn't appreciate our tardiness."

The boys stared at each other for a second longer before looking down into her face. Simultaneously, they grinned at her and said, "Alright."

"We especially don't want to upset your mother who has taken so many pains for us," Gaara added as they started to walk again.

"Or Kankuro," Sasori chuckled. "Especially Kankuro. He may not look it, but when it comes to food, tardiness is not something he tolerates."

"I know what you mean," Sakura sighed as she remembered Hinata's teammate, Choji. For a brief second she wondered which of the two would win in an eating competition, then immediately returned her thoughts to the present.

Within moments, they had arrived at their destination and the boys let go of Sakura's hands. She walked up in front of them and mechanically opened the door when a light breeze blew through the streets. Sakura turned to face the breeze and smiled as she inhaled the freshness and simplicity of it all. Although she was a medic-in-training and was used to healing people by adding something or other aside from her chakra, she really enjoyed nature, how natural, authentic and beautiful it all was. Her small smile turned into a grin. That was exactly why she had her secret place.

"Ohh. So the princess has a secret place, does she?" Sasori grinned, bending over so he could place his chin on her shoulder while he tucked his hands into his pockets.

Sakura jumped in surprise, recovering the blush she had managed to lose earlier. "W-what?"

"Come on, Sakura," Gaara added teasingly as he appeared on her other side, wrapping his arm around her waist, effectively annoying Sasori. "Just because you said it softly doesn't mean we didn't hear it. We _are_ ninjas, after all."

"I-I didn't say anything…"

Gaara lightly raised an eyebrow at her. "But we heard you. You said you like everything to be natural despite being a doctor, which indicates that you sometimes have to work with manufactured things."

"I said that?" Sakura was now officially panicking. How could she not have realized she was speaking out loud? Some ninja she was!

"Sakura? Is that you? Are the boys with you?" her mother called from inside the house.

Sakura sighed in relief. She wasn't done panicking, but her mother had just given her an exit from the embarrassment, plus she was the host. It was rude to keep her company waiting, especially when they were probably hungry from their long trip.

"Let's go in, shall we?" she invited them inside sheepishly, quickly walking out of Gaara's arm and into the house. They nodded and followed her in. She indicated to the dinning table with a wave of her hand, but they shook their heads and gestured back to her insisting that she sat first. She smiled at them but shook her head in rejection to their courteous offer. "I don't mind where I sit. Plus I have to help my mom bring the food, since we are all serving ourselves," she explained before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Halleluiah!" Kankuro cheered from the far end of the table, which earned him a glare from his sister and father who were sitting on either side of him. He immediately quieted down, but his face retained the dreamy look that had appeared with a bit of drool visible from the corner of his mouth as he licked his lips in anticipation. Temari and the Kazekage shook their heads at him, disproving his manners.

"Well then," Gaara spoke after some hesitation. "Father is sitting on that end of the table, so this end is probably for Mrs. Haruno…" He walked towards the side of the table across from his siblings and sat on the middle chair.

_Well played,_ Sasori mentally scowled. By sitting in the middle, Gaara had left only two seats avaible. That meant that he would be between him and Sakura, no matter which place she chose. His eyes scanned the table, looking for solutions. The corner of his mouth lifted into a small, crooked smile as he found one a second later. _Unless…_

Sasori proceeded to walk to the other end side of the table, where his siblings sat looking at him and at Gaara curiously, and gracefully pulled out the last seat on that side and sat down beside his sister. Gaara's sharp eyes focused on him, wondering what he was doing.

Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open, exorcising the small amount of tension that had formed in the room. Sakura and her mother walked in cheerfully, each easily balancing three big plates on their arms. "I hope you guys are hungry," Momoko grinned at her guests. "Because I made a lot of food!"

The Suna ninja, particularly the Kazekage, Temari and (especially) Kankuro began to clap and smile broadly, commenting excitedly at how good it all looked and smelled, completely honest. Because it was true, the food looked delicious.

There was a bowl of coconut rice mixed with kidney beans, a big Caesar salad with nuts and feta cheese, a basket of steaming freshly baked bread, a plate of shrimp, chicken and veggie skewers, a bowl of crisp mashed potatoes with little herbs on the top, and finally a big glass plate of a huge roast beef drenched in sauce.

Mother and daughter easily, comfortably walked around the table and placed their dishes on little place mats on the centre of it, saying "thank you,"s "it's nothing," and the like. Once all the plates were set, Momoko Haruno moved to the other side of the table, just as Gaara had predicted; which left only Sakura left to choose a seat.

The atmosphere tensed again as the two youngest Sand brothers focused their gaze on her every move, anxious to see where she would choose to sit. Gaara smirked both to himself and at Sasori. The only seats left were on either side of him. Sasori had taken the only other option, so now no matter what, Sakura had to sit beside him.

But his smile vanished as he saw Sasori smirk at him back, slightly triumphant with a calm expression. Gaara's brow furrowed. Sasori was too competitive to let him win, even though the little competition was just to see who got to sit beside Sakura.

"Please," Sakura's voice cut into his thoughts, his eyes snapping back at her. "Begin!" As everyone began to take plates and passing them around once they had served themselves the desired portions, Sakura sat down between Gaara and her mother…right across from Sasori.

Gaara immediately saw the advantages Sasori had over him that second. While Sasori could easily look at Sakura with a small shift of his eyes and head plus also have an easy conversation with her, he couldn't. To look at her properly he would have to either sit sideways or turn his whole head, which would become uncomfortable for both of them after a while, not to mention that if he glanced at her too many times for too long he would probably creep her out.

Damn that Sasori. And to make things worse, Sasori used the pause in his conversation with Mrs. Haruno to wink at him while sending him an arrogant smirk.

Gaara, for the first time since he was three, actually scowled. His brother's smirk just widened.

"Gaara-kun, are you alright? Is the food not good?"

Gaara looked up from his plate into a pair of beautiful bright emerald-green eyes which were filled with worry. "Eh…no, no, Sakura," he quickly answered, a little surprised at being addressed with "kun." "The food is worthy of belonging in a five-star restaurant," he assured her. He took the roast beef from his father and spooned a huge amount into his plate, passing the dish on to her as he took big bites with lots of gusto to emphasize his point. "Delicious!"

Sakura smiled warmly at him, relieved. "That's good." She scooped some roast beef for herself before changing plates with her mother, who passed her the salad.

When Gaara glanced at his brother between scooping some rice for himself, he was strangely satisfied to see his smirk was gone with a small scowl replacing it, evident on the tilt of his eyebrows.

Unknown to the three teens, everyone else was watching them with bemused eyes.

After a hearty dinner filled with lots of conversation, catching up and jokes, dessert was brought in – warm, fudgy chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, topped with caramel sauce.

Needless to say, it didn't last long. Even the seconds that came out were short-lived.

"…then finally, after years of training under Tsunade-sama, I actually became stronger than Naruto _and_ Sasuke!" Sakura laughed as she finished telling the story of why her teammates freeze when she gets mad at them. The Sand family chuckled, having no problem picturing the gentle Sakura not minding getting her hands dirty if it was to keep the peace.

As the kids laughed, Mrs. Haruno's and the Kazekage's eyes met, a silent message passing between them. They both nodded simultaneously before joining in on the laughing as if that quick moment never happened.

"Sakura, darling," her mother called. Sakura politely looked her way. "The Kazekage and I have an announcement to make. Please help me take the plates into the kitchen."

Sakura assented with a nod of her head before standing up, only to be pushed down by Gaara's hand on her shoulder. "Allow us," he said. "You have already done so much for us tonight. This is the least we can do."

"He's right," Sasori agreed, standing up and piling her plate on top of his before taking Mrs. Haruno's and piling it on top.

Sakura smiled warmly at them. "Thank you." They nodded and quickly picked up all the plates, taking them to the kitchen.

"Don't worry about where to put them," Mrs. Haruno called to them before they could ask where the dishwasher was. "Just leave them on the counter. Come here the announcement; it's important." The two redheads appeared a second later, taking their places, curious as to what announcement was of such importance that they hadn't even been in the village twenty-four hours before it was made.

After a short silence, Sakura finally asked, "What's the announcement, Mom?"

Mrs. Haruno smiled at her daughter, and Sakura suddenly felt a chill shoot down her spine. Her mother's smile was knowing, teasing, and definitely amused. That combination was not usually a good sign. "Why, it's your engagement, Sakura!" she answered cheerfully, clapping her hands by the side of her face. "Isn't that wonderful?"

Sakura, who was sipping at her glass of water as her mother spoke, choked and begun coughing, Gaara patting her on the back a little surprised himself at the news. He glanced at his brother to find the same shocked expression mirrored in his face. They were not expecting this.

Once Sakura stopped coughing, she shot up, standing straight as she smacked her hands on the table, causing it to tremble, and glared at her mother, her face flushed as she demanded, "_WHAT?_"

The Kazekage cleared his throat politely and all eyes turned to him. "You are not the only one, my dear," he casually told the enraged pink-haired girl while biting back a smile. This was truly hilarious, although he knew he shouldn't find it so. "My two youngest sons are also getting engaged."

"_WHAT?_" the two sons in question snapped, their voices uncharacteristically raised above the normal volume in which they spoke. They didn't accompany Sakura on slapping the table with indignation, but they did imitate her on standing up in utter shock and unbelief.

"We knew nothing of this!" protested Gaara.

"This is completely unjust and uncalled for, old man!" growled Sasori.

"Same goes for you, mother!" Sakura snapped at the calm Momoko. "How could you do this to me?"

"But Sakura," Momoko innocently spoke to her enraged daughter. "I thought you liked those two."

"'Those two'…?" Sakura looked from her mother to the rest of the table, where the two red-headed brothers looked back at her with shock, surprise and confusion. She looked to the rest of her guests and found that the Kazekage and his other two kids were pretty calm about; even _smug_. Her eyes narrowed and her voice quieted dangerously as she intently focused on her mother, speaking slowly. "What do you mean?"

It was the Kazekage who answered. "You, Sakura, are betrothed to my two youngest sons, Gaara and Sasori." He smiled reassuringly at her. "We will stay here for about a month. By the end of the month, you will have to choose one of my sons to marry."

Sakura didn't say anything. Neither did Gaara and Sasori. She looked at them. They looked at her.

"We're getting _married_?"


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6 **_

**Himeko Koneko **** On it xD**

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_**SAKURA**_

I couldn't believe it. How could my mother, _my mother_ of all people, do this to me?

Oh yeah. Because she's the mother and at such has the power to do this. Ugh. I've never felt so disappointed that she's my mother. I love her and all, but she has crossed the line this time.

Ironically enough, she's the one who taught me about female dignity and rights. She left the 'girl power' part to Lady Tsunade, but of course she added some of her own insight as well. Anyway, I'm getting off track. She was the one telling me that nothing can tie me down, that I don't have to do anything I don't want to, that being a girl is prideful, and, above all, that I have every right to choose whom I fall in love with.

So how come what she believed to be the strongest, most important right of life aside from the right to live, never mind about being female or not, is the very right that she takes away from me? Hypocrite.

So it shouldn't have been much of a surprise, really, that as soon as I was informed of my engagement to not one, but _two_ boys I left the dinner table and went up to my room in the second floor, skipping every second step of the staircase.

"Oh dear," I heard my sensitive, oh so dear mother say as I ran up the steps. "I guess she didn't take to that idea very well."

Gee, mother, you think?

Once in the safety of my room, I eyed the door and was sorely tempted to slam it. Oh, I was never so tempted to do anything like that in my life. But as far as I could see, this was a special occasion which earned me my right. The only thing that kept me from doing so was the nagging voice in the back of my head that reminded me – as if I needed that – that we had guests in the house, right below us in fact, and it was way beyond rude to slam the door as loudly as I wanted to at that moment.

_What do I care?_ I thought. I had just found out my mother has a planned engagement for me, probably for years as far as I'm concerned, and I only found out about it today. When my supposed fiancés were in my house. Eating dinner with me. People I had never even heard of until just a few hours ago.

Oh, cheers.

"Sakura, darling?" I heard my mother's tentative voice call as she headed up the stairs after excusing me and herself. I snorted. "Darling" my foot. And as if I needed to be excused. "Sakura, I know you're upset about this all, but can we just talk?"

"Why should we?" I asked her coldly as I sat on the edge of my bed and crossed my arms and legs, staring daggers at the entrance of my room so my mother could see how upset and displeased I was the moment she reached the top of the stairs. "I'd say I've hear all I need to, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, Sakura, please let me explain," she pleaded in that tone all women use when they're starting to get desperate but don't want to make a scene.

"Explain _what_, exactly, mother?" I cut her off. I knew I was being rude, but I wasn't backing down so easily. This is my life, damnit! She had no right to do this to me! If all I could do was fight with words then by my village's life, I would.

She reached the top of the stairs and turned to my room, but apparently my expression was such that it stopped her cold. She froze, looking bewildered at me in my cute little room, and I think she gulped before walking towards me again.

Hah. Serves her right.

"Sakura…" my mother began, uneasily as she reached the door frame and stayed there. I paused. My mother, uneasy? Either I was looking scarier than I thought, or she had just realized the impact this little plan of hers had had on me. Either way, it was taking effect on her to the point that words escaped her.

"Just say it, mother," I snapped, sounding bitchier than I had intended. I saw a flicker of hurt cross her face, and damn it all, I felt guilty for it. She was still my mother, and I loved her above all. Then I thought struck me. She was a woman renowned for her mind, both for her wisdom and knowledge. Surely she wouldn't do this just for kicks?

Despite my anger and own hurt still boiling within my veins, mixed with a hint of betrayal, I sighed with resignation and gestured for her to come in. She did and sat down beside me on my bed, wrapping an arm comfortingly around my shoulders.

I couldn't help what happened next. The familiar position sent me back to my childhood when my mother would do the same thing she was doing now, except for different reasons. I pouted and the stiffness of my shoulders relaxed as I uncrossed my legs and opted for pulling them up to my chest, holding them to me with my arms around my shins in a fetal position.

"Oh, my poor baby…" my mother cooed as she pulled me tighter to her and stroke my hair. I remained silent.

"Sakura, sweetie, I know this might seem unfair to you," - I shot her a look- "well, okay, it is pretty unfair to you at the moment. But can I please tell you how this came about?"

"That's what I wanted to know in the first place," I muttered to my knees, still moody. "I know you're a sensible woman, mother, so unless you suddenly became the Wicked Witch of the West I know you must have had a good reason for doing this."

She nodded, trying to fight off a smile brought forth by my metaphor. Don't say I was never creative.

"Alright then. Let's start at the very beginning. I'd say this started about twenty-five or so years ago, when Kanata, Takeshi, Karura and me had graduated from the Academy. Kanata and Karura were a couple even then, and a few years later Takeshi asked me out." I couldn't help but sigh at the name of my father. He had died when I was eight. Even though I had always loved to hear stories from the past from my parents, when my father passed away I came to love them all the more…and treasure them too.

"We were training for our Chunin Exams in Suna, which is the village Kanata and Karura were originally from. In the end," my mother continued, "all of us got married to our respective partners when we became jounin. We were all excellent shinobi, and our friendship was one that our fellow shinobi would joke that was the stuff of legends. For a while there they used us as a verb. If they saw a very close group of kids playing in the park, they would turn and jokingly tell us that they were 'super grouping.' That was a nickname we had; as some of the best shinobi we were elite, but as a group we never failed a mission. Not even once." She chuckled and looked out my window.

The sun was almost gone, and the remaining sunset gave life to the sky in a beautiful array of colors. My mother seemed lost in the sky, as if she had seen the exact same sunset twenty years ago. Surprisingly, I found that she had. The sunset she was looking at now was the sunset she had watched with my father and the rest of the Super Group over two decades ago.

Suddenly, I could see it all. My mother, younger and still beautiful, her unique white hair shorter and braided in a French braid was holding a man's hand – my father, when he was about twenty years old – and beside them was the young Kazekage, his arm wrapped around the waist of a petite brown-haired girl with a kind smile and big eyes. They were all laughing, celebrating their return from a completed mission.

They had returned in the evening. The other woman looked up into the Kazekage's face and smiled at him, and I was breathless at the love in both of their faces. My parents were the same, although they looked a little more mischievous than the other couple. Then whom I assumed to be Karura, the Kazekage's wife, pointed across from them. They all looked.

She had been pointing at the sunset, a perfect copy of the one I had right outside my window.

"We were all very tight and happy. However, about three years after we had formed the Super Group, Takeshi and I were sent to another village as part of a peace treaty and because the village was our original hometown." She smiled at me. "Care to guess which village it was?"

"Konoha," I answered.

She nodded. "Yes, Konoha. We were sad to leave Suna and our friends, but we were positive our friendship was strong enough to survive the distance. Turns out we were right.

"A couple years after we moved to Konoha, you were born. As we were still fairly new to the village and we were still settling in, we didn't have much contact with the Kanata or Karura, except for important pieces of information, such as the birth of their four kids, how they were all doing, and things like that.

"Then, one night, your father had an idea. You were probably four or five years old." My eyes bulged. If this is going where I think it's going, then that means my parents had planned my engagement over a decade ago! And it was all my father's idea to boot. "I'm not sure how he came up with it," my mother continued, oblivious to my increased heart rate as she was lost in her story, "but he thought that our families were such close friends that if we could pass down our friendship to our kids, then our families could be friends forever."

"Well, I don't see a problem with that. I got along with Temari-chan, Kankuro-kun, Sasori-kun and Gaara-kun pretty well, even though I didn't really talk to Temari and Kankuro as much as I did with the other two."

"I know, sweetie. But your father was the kind of man who took things seriously and at times would take them farther than necessary." She looked at me then, her eyes intently focused on my face but somehow looking glassy, distant as if she hadn't quite come back from her reminiscence. I'd be lying if I said her next words didn't get me a little teary-eyed. "Your father loved you very much, Sakura. The day of you birth everyone swore that there wasn't a happier man in all of Konoha, in all of the world at that moment when he held you in his arms for the first time. It was then he knew that he'd protect you with everything he's got. From other ninjas, from war, from pain…from heart break.

"Takeshi was especially concerned for your heart, particularly when your hair became the beautiful pink it remains today. Although it is a very unique and beautiful color, he knew that many wouldn't be able to accept it, especially kids. He feared for your self-esteem and what it would do to you later in life when you became interested in boys. So when he was thinking about how to protect you from a that destiny, one way or another Kanata and Karura's family came to mind. It was then he thought, and I quote, 'what's best than friendship? Love, that's what!'" She chuckled at the memory.

"He admitted it was a long shot, but he kept insisting that if our families could get married then everything would be great. The Sabaku kids were well-raised and from our very own dear friends. They aren't ones to judge, even when little, and we knew that if you could find your destined one it would be one of them.

"It was then we agreed on the idea of an engagement. Your father sent a letter to Kanata, who had become Kazekage, that same night with our idea. We got a reply a week later with consent."

I was silent for a while as I took in what my mother had told me. She was still patting my head, which had come to rest on her lap as she was telling the story. I wasn't sure what to think, what to _feel_. My father was the one who had come up with this. He did it for my sake. Where I had seen this engagement as a way to tie me down and rob me my freedom, he had seen it as a way to love me and give me happiness.

I couldn't help it. I cried.

"Shhh, my little cherry blossom, shhh," my mother comforted me as she lovingly dried my tears with her fingers. "It's alright. But there's more." I stopped sniffling to pay attention to what she said. How could there be more? "We knew that forcing you to marry someone who you did not love was not a way to protect you. It was not a kindness to put you through that. So with Kanata we agreed that if you did not love one of their sons and they did not love you back, you were free from the engagement. You could choose whomever you wanted to, and we wouldn't stop you."

I sniffled and cried harder. My father had been thinking of me all along!

We stayed like that for the rest of the evening.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7 **_

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* * *

**SASORI**

Despite the outbursts of anger and indignation from Gaara and I earlier, the moment Sakura's eyes locked with ours I realized that this little scheme of our parents' was quite a blow for her. Of course, that's not to say that it wasn't for Gaara or me either, but for her…

I suppressed a shudder. I can only imagine what she must be feeling like now. Trust me; I know girls. Although I only have one sister, she's one who often speaks her mind about lots of things. At first it was irritating to have to listen to her and then hear her give her "because I'm the eldest" excuse. However, with time I came to understand her. And I learned to listen. I learned about girls.

Once I grew up and left the awkward early teenage years, I became acquainted with other girls. I'm not bragging when I say this, but my newfound social skills made me popular with the female population. Come one, a guy who actually listens, who understands, knows the words you want and _need_ to hear? Plus an astonishing shinobi and good-looking? Yeah, I was a prize in their eyes.

To make a long story short, I was their friend. When they needed a shoulder to cry on, someone listen to their rants, or just someone who was not their closest friend or a family member, they came to me. It didn't matter if they were kunoichi or villagers. I was the support for all of them.

So, as you can see, I know girls. I know their hearts as well as their minds. And unless you're as closely acquainted with the heart of a girl (or you're a girl yourself), you know an arranged marriage is the worst thing that can happen to you. If spending all that time getting to know girls got me anything, it was my ability to sympathize with them and become protective of them.

As Sakura bolted out of the dinning room, anger and hurt evident on her face, the whole room was speechless; I was trying to find the right thing to do and say. Momoko-san was shocked as well, but she recovered quickly and sighed in a hurt way. She really wasn't expecting Sakura to love that idea, was she? She excused her daughter and herself before going after her.

I can't be blamed for what happened next. I was seething with anger at the adults in that house. How could they do this to her? Never mind me or Gaara; it's shocking for us but not devastatingly cruel.

"Old man," I heard a guttural voice all but snarl at the Kazekage. I was surprised that it wasn't Gaara in his angry Shukaku mode, but _me_. My father, who was looking at the empty stairs, slowly turned his head and looked at me. I couldn't identify the expression on his face.

"You foolish old man," I continued, "what have you done?"

"Sasori…" he began, but I wasn't having any of it.

"No, Dad," I cut him off, glaring daggers at him. "_What_. Have. You. _Done?_"

He sighed dejectedly and ran a hand through his hair, the weight of the situation falling on him at last. He was at a loss for what to do next. I could tell he was expecting a negative reaction (who wouldn't?), but he wasn't expecting it to be so intense. He glanced up at me and I froze. He looked lost, _hopeless_. And his eyes, always full of power and determination now were soft and seemingly begging me to understand.

"Sasori, Gaara. Hear me out."

I recovered from my shock and returned to glaring at him. "You can –"

"Sasori," Gaara appeased me with his monotone voice. I glanced at him. He was looking at Father as well, but his face was as impassive as his voice. Damn it, he appeared even _calm_ despite his earlier outburst. "Sasori, let's hear him out. He must have a reason for this little arrangement. We can pass judgment after we hear his testimony."

I stared at him for a second longer before turning to face Father. After another tense second, I sighed in defeat and plopped down on my seat, pinching the bridge of my nose with incoherent thoughts running through my mind. Trust Gaara to be the diplomat. I'm telling you, he's going to be the next Kazekage.

"Father," Gaara addressed him, respectful as always. "Please explain what is the meaning of this rather unpleasant surprise." He took a seat and leaned over the table, resting his elbows on it, his fingers joined before his mouth, giving the Kazekage his full attention.

"Yes, well," Father began uneasily. I held back a smirk. Other `Kages and some of the world's most powerful men and women had stood before him, only inches away from him, ranting, demanding, blackmailing and threatening him and our village and he hadn't so much as batted an eye at them. Now we, his two youngest sons, sit before him with about a good meter or more between us, asking him why he had planned an arranged marriage for the two of us to the same girl, and his words fail him.

"Alright, alright. I was going to tell you anyway. No need to question me like a damned criminal," Father growled after a pause. He glared at me. "Sasori, wipe that smirk off your face." I chuckled but did as was told. He glanced at me, then at Gaara, then finally at Kankuro and Temari, who were sitting by his side. He looked down at his lap and sighed again before glancing up, his face full of determination and newfound energy

"It all started about twenty-five years ago…"

* * *

"…and so, about a little over five years after they left, I got a letter via hawk. It was from Takeshi, Sakura's father. The letter informed me of how things were going for them and about the greatest thing that joined their family – little Sakura. At the end of the letter, Takeshi told me his idea of passing down our friendship to our children. The idea built momentum until he finally came up with another idea: marriage.

"He believed that the only thing better than friendship was love. And he, just like the rest of us, wanted to bond our families as closely as possible. What better way than becoming in-laws?" He grinned. "Plus he also said that my sons – you – were the only boys worthy of his daughter, the only ones he respected and trusted enough to look after her." He shrugged and sat back, content with the story and finally revealing the truth to us. "Like they say, the rest is history. I sent back my agreement that same day."

The room was silent as we all took in the story he had told us, processing every little detail. If you looked at it from his point of view, the deal made sense. Our parents had been friends forever, the very best, and they simply wanted to pass that friendship on to the next generation. They wanted to remain connected, and they cared for each other that they wanted to be family. But something didn't quite seem to fit.

Gaara, as if coming to the same conclusion as me, spoke after a few more seconds. "Why else did you agree?"

Father blinked. "What?"

"Why else did you agree?" Gaara repeated his question, opening his eyes which he had closed as he listened to our father tell his tale. "Everything makes sense, but there's something that doesn't quite fit."

"Like what?" Father asked him cautiously, keeping his eyes on his face. I also looked at Gaara, as did my other siblings, waiting to hear what flaw he had found.

"Well, the most obvious thing. Why were Sasori and I chosen?"

"And why was Kankuro excluded?" I added.

We all looked at Father, expectant.

He nodded in satisfaction, mimicking Gaara's pose. "Very good, boys, very good." He chuckled once before answering. "Kankuro was excluded because Sakura wasn't his type, among other things."

We glanced at said busy-body. "Hey, Sakura's nice and all but she's more like a sister to me," he said. "There's no way I could marry my 'sister.' That's just wrong. Plus, she deserves someone who cherishes her and loves her, not someone who teases her." He took a mouthful oh his water before adding, "Plus as hot as I find kunoichis, I think my type is more of a housewife. Saves me the worry of her getting killed or scarred. If I were to marry Sakura, my home would be the hospital." He laughed.

"Alright, that answers one question," I said. "Next answer, please."

Gaara spoke. "An arranged marriage is between two individuals. Adding a third party is obviously odd. Explain."

The others nodded in agreement. Father nodded once and swept the room with his gaze catching all our eyes. "You two were chosen for three reasons. First, it gives you all a choice. You two can choose to love her or just be her friends. Second, it gives _her_ a choice. You two share your taste in girls, but it is unknown what Sakura's type is. Giving her two different people with different personalities and characteristics raises the chances of her choosing to marry." I tried not to grit my teeth at that reason. It almost sounded like Gaara and I were just different kinds of bait. It was a bit of a blow to my pride, not to mention that it made Sakura sound like some sort of beast. "And, third of all and the most important reason, is because you need her and she needs you."

I was taken aback, though I didn't show it. What did mean by that? I glanced at Gaara. His brow was furrowed in confusion.

"Gaara, Sakura needs you because you are the type of person she can respect and admire. You are someone she can speak to like an equal. You are sturdy and can give her the support she needs. Plus, although you haven't loved or liked a girl yet, you are the type of guy who once he falls in love nothing can compete with it. Sakura's heart is fragile. She needs your unwavering presence. And you need _her_, Gaara. Sakura loves unconditionally and completely. She is not judgmental and she is someone who can give you all you need. She is someone who can accept you." Gaara flinched involuntarily at Father's implied words. Although no one feared him in Suna any more, the fact that Shukaku, a demon spirit, was in his body and granted him unimaginable powers, gave him a hard past. It still gives him a hard time when strangers find out – often accidentally – about his inner beast.

Gaara nodded, understanding, before closing his eyes and thinking about Kami-knows-what.

"Sasori," Father turned to me and I sat up straight. "Sakura needs you because you are an easy guy to get along with. You have the ability to not only be a lover, but a friend as well. She's a hard worker so she needs someone to help her unwind and enjoy the simple things in life. As I said before, her heart is fragile; although she is strong-willed she is emotional. She needs someone by her side who can comfort her and make her smile, someone who can understand her, help her, care for her, _be there_ for her. She is a simple girl, she needs someone who treats her like a princess but without all the lavish, extravagant things. And she needs someone creative. You, Sasori, need _her_ for many of the same reasons Gaara does. You need her to hold you, you need someone who can take care of you, someone with patience and honor. You need someone with a soft heart and isn't jealous of your peers or possessive. You need someone trustworthy, someone to put you in your place when you need to be. You need her to balance out your life."

Like Gaara, I said nothing but simply nodded in understanding as I took in what he said. I don't know about what Sakura needs, but what he said about me was true. I need someone who can be and do all the things he said and more, and something in the back of my head assured me that Sakura would be the one to provide and be those things.

I closed my eyes and tried to picture what our future would be like if we were married. Shockingly enough, the images came to me as easy as one, two, three. I didn't even have to try and imagine the details or anything. It was almost as if it were meant to be.

I saw Sakura and me out on dates, her easy, warm smile lighting her face at my jokes, a twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes as she came up with ways to get me back for something I did, her cheering for me at the sidelines of a sparring ring, her backing me up on missions, healing me for something stupid I did and chiding me at the same time. I saw our wedding. She was beautiful. I saw our life in our own little house. And I saw her belly larger than usual, her face flushed with barely contained excitement as she told me that I was going to be a 'daddy.'

I gasped inaudibly as a sudden overwhelming rush of emotion evolved me, and I opened my eyes. I glanced around, looking to see if anyone had noticed my start, but Gaara was still thinking, oblivious to the world while Father, Kankuro and Temari whispered among themselves.

I took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. Kami, the visions were so wonderful…and I wanted them so much.

"Ah, one more thing, boys," Father called out to us. We looked at him. "The thing about this engagement is that the final outcome isn't which of you gets married. The final outcome is whether you get married at all." Gaara and I frowned at him. Did he enjoy speaking in riddles? He elaborated. "We'll be staying here for about a month. In that time both of you will try to woo Sakura. If at the end of the month there are no romantic feelings between her and either of you, the engagement will be called off and our families can just remain friends. But unlike Sakura, you can drop out because there are two of you while the Harunos only have her." He narrowed his eyes at us, waiting to hear what we had to say. "So what's it gonna be, boys?"

There was a pause as Gaara and I debated our answers. After hesitating, I said, "I'm in."

"Me too," Gaara spoke immediately after. I glanced at him. "Only if Sakura agrees. I don't want her to feel pressured to agree just because we did." I nodded in agreement to what he said.

"Very well," Father said, raising from his seat. I narrowed my eyes at him. What was he doing? He turned his gaze to the stairway and there stood Momoko-san, with Sakura behind her. My mouth opened in a surprised 'o.' Gaara, of course, didn't do anything. The only thing that gave him away were his eyes which widened the slightest bit. "So, Sakura?" Father asked the emerald-eyed girl. "What do you say?"

All eyes turned to her. She swept the room with her eyes before turning to her mother, who gave her an encouraging nod. Sakura looked back at us and I caught her eye for a moment. We smiled at each other.

"I'm in."


	9. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

**Chibi Emi-Chan**** Actually your question will be answered later on in the story. I'm still not sure which chapter, but it will be soon. Keep reading and you'll find out!**

**Himeko Koneko ****Well, your patience paid off!**

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**Well you guys did it! You got more reviews than last time so here's the chapter! It's a little short but I hope you enjoy nonetheless! AND REVIEW!**

**(P.S., I wrote a story for "Avatar: The Last Airbender. Check it out if you like the show!)**

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**GAARA**

"I'm in."

There was a pause of silence after Sakura had declared her decision before the room erupted with loud cheers and laughter. Honestly, you'd think she had announced that she'd been promoted to ANBU-rank. I swept the happy room with my eyes, taking in every detail. I saw Sakura take a look at Sasori and she smiled a tiny smile at him, her cheeks tainted the slightest pink while Sasori returned her smile with a slow and almost seductive one of his own.

On the other side of the room I saw Temari and Kankuro toasting with their half-empty glass cups filled with water and coke respectively. I raised an eyebrow. Why were _they_ so happy? Temari I can understand. She's an only girl, so the possibility that she might get a sister (although in-law) probably has her excited. Kankuro, on the other hand… Oh well, he's just Kankuro. He probably just got caught in the excitement.

Momoko-san and Father were standing together, big, wide smiles lighting up their faces as they chatted away excitedly about how delightful everything had turned out. Momoko-san caught my eye and winked before answering a question my father asked her. I guess she's encouraging me. I kept looking at the two, trying to snatch words of their conversation through the noise in case they're planning something more. I have a feeling that they're going to voluntarily create situations for Sakura, Sasori and me to fall into to have Sakura choose faster.

However, that didn't last long. Once Momoko-san started talking about how she was so enamored by the idea of grandchildren I turned away and instead focused on Sakura who was chatting quietly with Sasori by the hall.

As I took in her exquisite and unique candy-pink locks, her smooth, impeccable porcelain skin, her wide emerald-green eyes that sparkled so and her thin, plump plum lips, I was suddenly struck with the feeling of being lonely. Everyone was with someone to chat and celebrate the turn of events. Father had Momoko-san plus Temari and Kankuro who had recently joined their conversation. And Sasori had Sakura.

I had no one.

Just as the thought struck me, by some force or signal, if you will, Sakura glanced at me that same instant. For a split second our eyes met and she smiled at me. Was it wrong to think that maybe that smile was the slightest bit wider and more affectionate than the one she had given Sasori? I frowned with the realization of how ridiculous that thought was. Sakura caught on despite my facial movements always going unnoticed because they are so diminutive. She frowned as well and said something to Sasori before walking over to me.

I straightened up and took a sip of my water as she took a seat beside me. I set down the glass and returned her stare politely. What I was not prepared for was the look in her eyes – fierce, determined, and supremely intelligent. As her hypnotizing jewel-like eyes bore into mine, I felt my soul be exposed bare.

Suddenly I could hear nothing; the chatter of the room dimmed in volume until there was nothing but silence. Then I lost my peripheral vision, quickly, until all I could see where those green infinite depths that called out to me. I was vaguely aware of Sasori looking intensely in our direction, but I neither minded nor cared for him at that moment or anyone else for that matter. The longer I looked into Sakura's eyes, the more entranced I became.

Then, all of a sudden, I no longer had a body. Oh, I could still feel my heartbeat, but it seemed to be going in slow motion. _Ba-thump...Ba-thump…Ba-thump…_But I couldn't feel anything else. I couldn't feel the blood rushing in my veins; I had no nose to smell the fragrance of the leftover food; I had no mouth to describe what I was feeling; no air reached my lungs. All that existed at that moment was the immediate connection between us.

As the realization of the intensity of our bond struck me, Sakura's eyes, which had been staring so intently at me, narrowed slightly. For a moment, I froze. I wondered if she did not like what she saw. Although I could feel nothing but an intense calmness since the moment our eyes met, that calmness gave way to a deep sadness that mercilessly gripped my heart. Of course that pink-haired goddess with the jewel eyes wouldn't like what she saw in me. I'm a monster. A demon. Why would she care for me?

Dejection found its way through my consciousness and the world came back to me, slowly, creeping as if mocking my short-lived fantasy as odd as it was. The feeling in my body returned to me, but it was unpleasant: my stomach was a loose knot at the base of my belly, my shoulders were stiff and faintly aching as if I had been rigorously training for hours, my heartbeat became more regular though I couldn't help but feel a slight stab of pain with every beat, and my lungs were filled with air which they pushed out as I sighed quietly.

I blinked and the daydream was gone.

Or so I thought. When I re-opened my eyes, the first thing I saw where Sakura's, closer than before with a flicker or worry in them.

I froze, wondering why she was worried. Then it occurred to me: she was worried she would end up with me. She wanted Sasori, the one with the elegant yet casual look, the one who's witty, fun-loving, artistic and smooth as silk, the one who knew just what to do or say in just about any occasion. She didn't want the stoic, traditional, quiet guy who didn't even know how to talk to a girl properly without awkward pauses or the conversation turning to something boring and irrelevant like what is the best way to meditate.

My eyes dropped at the corners and I attempted a weak smile at her. I couldn't hold it against her that she preferred Sasori. How could I? Sasori was my brother and I recognized that he had everything that I lacked, every quality all the girls seemed to love in a guy. Plus he was normal.

"Gaara."

I looked up, startled by the soft, melodic voice that said my name with such tenderness. Sakura now was evidently a little worried, no longer just a flicker crossing her eyes. It took me a moment to answer. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

She seemed relieved that I was paying attention, though how that can relieve someone I can't imagine. She grinned at me and raised her index finger before placing it on the tip of my nose and tapping it twice. There was a soft gasp from my family as she did that, for no-one save my mother had ever had the audacity to do that.

"No 'Sakura-chan,'" she said. "Just Sakura."

I stared at her, not comprehending what she was getting at, but nodded anyway nodded.

"Now say it. Sakura. No suffix."

"Sakura," I said, and I couldn't help but notice how easily it was for me to be so informal with her. Her grinned widened and she removed her finger from my nose. "Good," she said. "And I'll call you Gaara. Can I?"

I nodded and she giggled delicately. I don't know why, but I returned her smile although hers was wider than mine by a mile.

"Great! Now we're no longer half-strangers but friends." She stood up and reached for my face. Normally I would evade such a gesture, but for some alien reason I let her; I _longed_ for her affectionate gesture. When her hand came into contact with the side of my face, she said, "I look forward to the coming month. Even if we don't marry each other, lets continue being friends, alright?"

And before I could give her an answer - which was "yes," by the way - she leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. She straightened up and smiled warmly at me before saying "goodnight" and turning to saying the same thing to everyone else.

I didn't fail to notice that the only people who received kisses were her mother (on the cheek), Sasori and me.

Needless to say, I felt light with happiness. I too, would be looking forward to the next month.


	10. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

**I'm *wheeze* back! Sorry I took so long…*gasp* but writer's block was *cough, cough* holding me hostage… But alas, I -*pant, gasp, wheeze* - managed to prevail! *cough* Please enjoy…this chapter…I'll just be *wheeze, pant* over there, laying down, *gasp* for awhile…**

**PLEASE REVIEW/COMMENT! & ENJOY**

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Sakura shifted in her bed; sleep giving way to consciousness gently as her body slowly was released from the bindings of dreams and entered the world of reality. She sighed peacefully, enjoying the warm feeling her covers gave her and the renewed energy a good night's rest had given her. Lazily, she pushed her covers from her head, allowing just the tiniest amount of light to touch her face, and she smiled.

She opened her eyes and rubbed the sleep off them as she pulled herself into a sitting position and yawned, causing her eyes to water slightly. She simply wiped her eyes and lifted her arms high above her head, taking in a deep breath as she stretched her back; lowering her arms and exhaling after a few short seconds.

She looked around her room while she waited for sleep to fully leave her before she tried to move and make herself dizzy. It didn't take long. With one final stretch, Sakura stood up and slipped her feet into a pair of fluffy slippers with panda faces by the toes. She loved her panda slippers.

And she loved mornings.

She took a quick glance at the small clock by her night table, which indicated the time was 8:14am. Quite a nice hour to wake up at, she thought. Not too early but not too late either.

Quietly she made her way to the main floor after she stopped in the bathroom where she splashed some water on her face, and turned a corner into the kitchen, ready to make herself some breakfast.

"`Morning, love."

Sakura, startled, looked up at the red head by the stove who was holding a frying pan in one hand and a pair of eggs in the other, winking at her over his bare shoulder…wait a minute, back up. Bare shoulder?

Indeed, the young rascal had no shirt on but only a pair of long, loose-fitting black pants that hung just over his hips.

"Good morning, Sasori," she responded pleasantly with a small smile. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to wake up so I can make some breakfast," he chuckled as he placed the pan on the stove and set the eggs beside it, then sauntered over to Sakura and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'm curious to see what a little flower like you relies on for her beauty," he murmured into her hair.

Sakura blushed as she shifted in his embrace. She didn't mind hugs, but since he was taller than her his hugs always left her with her face right by the crook of his neck. "Sasori, that's very kind of you to say, but you're my guest. You shouldn't have to make your own breakfast; least of all wait for me so you can eat."

He shrugged easily. "Nonsense, Sakura. I'm your guest, which is more than enough reason for me to make breakfast. You've already supplied my family and me with everything else, and you're graciously allowing us to intrude your home for a month. The least I can do is make you your first meal of the day."

"He's right," said a new voice from behind them. Sakura turned her head to find the youngest of the Sabaku family standing on the entrance of the kitchen. "You have provided everything for us; the least we can do is cook one meal for you."

"Gaara," smiled Sakura as she wiggled out of Sasori's arms and stepped up to his brother, who returned her smile with a smaller one of his own. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

He nodded once. "I did, thank you. And you?"

"Just fine."

"And me, well, I slept quite comfortably too, thank you very much. Just peachy, in fact. Not that you asked."

Gaara resisted rolling his eyes at Sasori while Sakura turned and smiled sheepishly at the older brother, scratching the side of her mouth absentmindedly. "Sorry, Sasori, I meant to ask you that but I got sidetracked when I saw you ready to make breakfast."

Sasori smirked at her, taking a step closer to her. "Why? Like what you see?" he asked deviously, reaching up with his hand and brushing back his messy ruby-colored hair, effectively, _casually_, flexing his muscles.

Before Sakura could react, Gaara's hand shot out and smacked Sasori on the side of the head. "Don't tease her like that." Sakura was instantly reminded that that's what Sasuke constantly did to Naruto when the latter was being unnecessarily annoying, or loud.

Sasori growled at him before huffing and turning away, heading back to where his pan and eggs awaited him. "Whatever. I was just having fun," he pouted, picking up the eggs and juggling them easily in one hand. He turned to Sakura, the eggs still flipping easily back and forth in his hand without him so much as paying attention to them. "You don't resent me for that little joke, do you?"

Gaara raised his non-existent eyebrows in disbelief. He knew very well that Sasori wasn't joking, but he said nothing.

Sakura grinned, and shook her head. "No, Sasori, I don't." He smirked.

"Good then. Now that we're back on topic, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Um… what can you make?"

"Whatever you want me to. I'm the cook of our family," he said proudly. Sakura was surprised and turned to Gaara, who grudgingly confirmed this with a nod of his head. His father was a terrible cook, his sister could make a few simple dishes and Kankuro only made poison… quite literally too, even if he didn't mean to. Which is why he was never allowed in the kitchen when dinner was being prepared.

"Okay then," Sakura sighed as she thought about something nice but not too demanding. "I feel in the mood for some homemade waffles; with an omelet on the side."

Sasori nodded. A delicious meal that was quick and easy to make. Plus he secretly loved waffles. They were good for snacks and he could add whatever he wanted to them, so he had some experience making them. "What kind of waffles would you like?" he asked, opening the pantry and rummaging for the necessary ingredients.

"Um… aren't they all the same except for the toppings?" Sakura answered back, unsure. Sure, she knew there were many recipes for waffles, but most of the ones she had eaten were plain, with a little brown sugar and cinnamon for a slight caramel taste or the batter mixed with blueberries and topped with syrup.

Sasori chuckled. "You'd be surprised how tweaking the recipe a little can change a dish so much. And what would you like in your omelet?"

"Ham, cheese, and tomato, please."

"It shall be done as my princess commands." He smiled gently at her before turning his back on her and his brother, focusing on making the best waffles and omelet he had ever made in his life.

Sakura watched him work diligently, surprised that he knew where to find all the equipment and ingredients he needed so quickly. As she wondered what Sasori's cooking would taste like, she glanced at Gaara who was leaning against the kitchen entrance, looking down at his feet with an expression that to others would seem impassive, but for Sakura it only seemed a little sad.

She walked up to him and gently tapped him on the arm. "What's wrong?" she quietly asked him.

He looked up at her, the faintest trace of surprise in his sea-green eyes. "There's nothing wrong, Sakura," he answered her, but she was unsatisfied at his response.

She stepped closer to him; their faces mere inches apart and she looked at him dead in the eye. "Do not lie to me, Gaara," she growled in a hushed tone. "If there is one thing I cannot stand, is a liar." She paused, and backed off slightly. "Plus I want to help you if there is something bothering you."

Gaara looked at her, weighing what he should say. Personally, he was surprised and somewhat delighted that she was already so attuned to him. Even his own family sometimes had trouble figuring him out, but this girl whom he had known for less than twenty-four hours could already read him like a book. After a few seconds went buy, he hesitantly answered her, "…I…I, uh, wish to help…" He wanted to smack himself. Why did he sound so unsure?

Sakura seemed to relax a little, although she also appeared confused. "Help? If you want to, go for it."

"I…" he coughed, his throat suddenly feeling dry as he saw Sasori skillfully preparing their breakfast as easily as if he were writing. "I don't…know how."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't help because I…I can't cook," he admitted. And it was embarrassing for him to admit such a thing.

"Oh." She turned her head to look at Sasori, who was focused on his task while contentedly humming a tune she wasn't familiar with. As she watched, he effortlessly chopped up some tomatoes and green onions before tossing them into the sizzling pan. She turned her attention back to Gaara, and took one of his hands into her own. "Well, that's alright," she said. "It's not a crime or something embarrassing to not know how to cook. It's just a nice skill to have, and useful. You can help another way if you like."

Gaara looked at her and solemnly nodded. He wanted to help, somehow. He didn't want to look less than his brother who already had so many advantages over him.

"You can set the table," Sakura instructed with a smile. "And make some orange juice."

"Make some…juice?"

"Yep," she chirped before turning and tugging Gaara back into the kitchen. "Here, I'll show you." And she did. She took out what looked like small pan that had been punch inside out with small waves on the outside. There was a small white plastic jug attached to the bottom with a section curled into a lip that allowed the liquid to flow out. Next, she took out six large oranges from the fruit bowl on the table and placed them on the table. Finally, she asked Sasori to scoot so she could take out a small, albeit sharp, knife. "Watch," she instructed. She took an orange and swiftly sliced it in half. Then, she took one half of the juicy orange and pressed it on the small oval pan so the little metal mountain pressed into the juicy parts of the orange. With minimal effort, she added more pressure to the orange until the juice begun to flow freely down the pan's sides and through little holes into the plastic jug. She twisted the orange half back and forth to make sure to squeeze all the juice before picking up the now empty shell and putting it aside. She turned to Gaara, who had been watching her actions intently, eager to learn, and eager to please. "Now you try."

He took the remaining half of the orange and did exactly what Sakura had done, but with slight moments of hesitation and unsureness now and again, but sure enough he did it. He looked up at Sakura to see if she approved of his work, although it wasn't as neat as hers. "Excellent, Gaara!" the girl praised him, and he smiled, glad.

"Should I finish the other oranges?" he inquired. She nodded.

"If you can get the container half-full that would be great. I think six oranges should do it since they're pretty big, but in case they're not sufficient you can take more."

"Ah. Don't worry then, leave it to me. And I'll also set the table."

"Then you better hurry," said Sasori from across the kitchen. "Because I'm nearly done." True enough, there were already two omelets on two of three plates, with the waffles already turning a golden-brown in the waffle maker. Gaara didn't answer him but merely returned to his task, finishing all six oranges and adding a seventh one in a matter of minutes. Who says being a ninja only served in battle?

In no time at all, the table was set for the three of them and three plates with warm omelets and waffled decorated the table; the aroma so enticing it could coax a person to eat the fiberglass plate just to taste the sauce that soaked the food.

Sakura, who had sat on one of the chairs of the table and watching over the boys as they worked, smiled gratefully at the two brothers. The table had been set tastefully, and the food looked and smelled like it belonged in a restaurant of the highest class. If she wasn't hungry before, she truly was now; although she also found it a pity to eat such a masterpiece.

"Please," said Sasori, his faced lightened up with a smile directed at her, "enjoy."

"I'm sure I will," she replied. "Thank you for the food. And the juice." Gaara nodded. She raised her glass of orange juice into the air. "Cheers! For the first day of the beginning of our future. For a permanent friendship and for possible love!"

"Cheers," the boys echoed her and the three tapped glasses.

Sakura cut into her omelet, and just as she was about to delicately place the yellow roll into her mouth, there was a loud, demanding knock on the door, followed by an impatient ringing of the doorbell. Sakura sighed. She was so looking forward to eating her breakfast with her two new friends. She quickly excused herself and told her guests to go ahead and eat, that she wouldn't be long. As she headed to the front door of her house, which was still getting unjustly banged on, she wondered what madman would cause such a racket at that hour.

No sooner had she opened the door than Ino yelled at her. "_Forehead!_ How _could_ you? You're my best friend and you didn't _tell me_ something so important! How? Why? Don't you trust me with something so _important_? You though I wasn't going to find out, but I did, and not I just-!"

"_Ino_!" Sakura cut her off. "What in the seven hells are you going on about? And why are you screaming? Half the neighborhood is still asleep! And why are you _here_ so early in the _morning_?"

Ino huffed but quieted down as she stalked past Sakura and into the living room. "I'm talking about your _engagement_!" she clarified. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Never mind that," she whipped suddenly turned on her heel, nearly causing Sakura, who was following her close behind, to crash into her. "Why did you keep this from me?"

"Ino…"

"I thought we were friends. _Best_ friends!"

"Ino."

"But apparently you can't tell your best friend you're engaged! And I don't even know to whom! Who is it?"

"_Ino_."

"Naruto? Nah, he's too much like a brother. Sasuke too, so that counts him out. Lee is a nice guy but not really your type. Now that I think about it I don't even know what your type is after the Sasuke phase. For all I know it could be Choji, Neji, even that lazy ass Shikamaru, or –"

"Ino!" Sakura snapped, causing the blue-eyed blonde to look up at her. "I didn't tell you because I just found out last evening. It's an arranged marriage; I didn't even know my fiancés until last night. I was planning on telling you eventually, I just didn't know when since it's been so short a time. How did you find out so quickly anyway?"

"Arranged? Oh, Sakura, that must have been…" She stopped. "Wait a second, did you say 'fiancés'? As in, _plural_?"

Sakura sighed, wondering how she was going to explain her situation to a nearly hysterical Ino when a voice came from the kitchen.

"Sakura? Is everything alright?"

Ino turned towards the voice as Sasori, followed by Gaara, stepped out from behind the wall the separated the kitchen from the living room. The blonde girl's eyes widened as she took in the two strangers, in their sleeping clothes, both were freaking _topless_, and were looking at Sakura expectantly, casting wary glances at the newcomer.

"Sakura," Ino said, not looking at the girl. "Why are there the two hot redheads from yesterday in your house? At this hour?"

"Well, they and their family are staying with me and my mom for a month, so…" She didn't get to finish.

Ino turned her head back at the pink-haired girl, and her eyes widened more. "Don't tell me they are…" Sakura nodded in confirmation as she stepped between the toe males.

"Guys, this is Ino Yamanaka, my best friend. Ino, these are Gaara and Sasori no Sabaku," she said, waving at each boy as she introduced them; nearly regretfully. She feared what was sure to happen when the rest of her friends found out, most likely from Ino than from herself. And Ino was known to stretch the truth a bit, so she was absolutely sure their friends were going to overreact. With a deep breath, silently praying for strength, she finished the introduction. "My fiancés."


	11. Chapter 10

_**Chapter**_

**I'm terribly sorry for such a late, LATE update, but as you know I have other stories to write to too. And it sucks when I only get THREE REVIEWS for the hard work I put in. Writer's sadness.**

**Plus I wrote a quick preview for another story that came to mind, called "_Dancing__Dawn_" and it's AkatsukixSakura. Check it out if you're a fan of that! **

**SaturnXK I'm glad you liked it, and although Ino can make a good bitch, I like her better as a friend. For Sakura at least.**

**xXxMusicNCookiesxXx Who knows? They might, but maybe not in the way you expect them to, haha.**

**midnightwolf3645Thank you for your support, and I hope this next chapter lives up to your expectations, even if it is a little short.**

**Thanks for your patience, and those who reviewed know that you guys are officially my fave reviewers. This chapter's for you guys! Please read, review, and enjoy! Remember:**

**REVIEWS = CHAPTERS!**

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The atmosphere in the room was slightly tense; only slightly because Ino was so incredulous at what Sakura had just explained to her. The blonde had arrived at her best friend's house determined to kick up a storm – she had even gone as far as written and memorized a little script to play the part of the hurt, deceived friend. But after Sakura had explained what had happened in the few hours after they met, Ino found that she couldn't be mad at her.

What she did find, however, was that the story was both bizarre and very plausible.

"So let me see if I got this right," she said, slowly. "You guys' parents," she pointed at the Sabaku boys, "and _your_ parents," she pointed at Sakura, "met as genins and developed some kind of super awesome friendship that's trespassed through the ages, and your dad –you dad, seriously? – decided that since he already considered the Sabakus family, it was time to make it the real deal and so the families agreed to betroth you three. Am I right so far?"

Sakura nodded, mimicked by Gaara and Sasori.

Ino continued. "And the reason you boys are engaged to the same person is because…?"

Sasori sighed. Ino was getting annoying. They had already explained to her their relationship and how it had come about five times already, and she still questioned them. True, it was a bit hard to get the occurrences around one's head, but it wasn't that difficult, really. "Because it increases the chances that there would be a marriage," he explained, again, rolling his eyes.

Ino scowled at him and returned her attention to the other two, who confirmed it by Sakura giving her a tiny, awkward smile and Gaara just staring at her. She had to admit that Gaara was almost too quiet, and gave her an eerie feeling in the back of her neck, but she had come to the conclusion that just because he was a bit weird he wasn't a bad guy.

"And as you can see, this has been planned for some time although we only found out recently," said Sakura. Ino groaned and leaned back on the chair her friend had ushered her onto in order to explain the situation.

After Ino had taken a seat, Sakura sitting across from her, the pinkette had asked Sasori to make some breakfast for the blonde. Sasori snorted at first, not being fond of the new girl's first impression, but after a little more prodding from Sakura he complied and gave her an omelet with a waffle; after which both he and his brother sat on their places and finished their food. They wouldn't say it out loud, but they were pretty resentful that their beautiful – and first – breakfast with their fiancée had been interrupted so rudely.

There were a few seconds of silence as Ino struggled and finally, successfully was able to accept all the information she had so wanted to have but been unable to accept. Finally, she opened her eyes, looked at Sakura and said, "Well, hell. You really got screwed, didn't you?"

"I find that rather insulting, Yamanaka-san," said Sasori, regretting not having put any poison into her food. But then again, if the blonde died, Sakura would never forgive him. Or talk to him for that matter. He cursed mentally. Why were things so difficult for something so simple?

"Agreed," added in the stoic Gaara, he blank face changing only slightly as his right eye twitched nearly invisibly in annoyance. A voice in the back of his head wondered how sweet, albeit temperamental, Sakura could be friends – _best_ friends, he reminded himself as he recalled the numerous times the girls had been addressed as such – with such a loud, nosy person. And rude too, apparently.

"Ino!" Sakura chided, and Ino had the decency to look guilty. Only a little, but guilty nonetheless. "Ino, don't insult my friends. What is wrong with you? You only insult other people when they insult you first or a store is having a super sale and you are fighting another shopper for the same thing." Ino's face tainted red as her eyebrows furrowed together; angry that Sakura had revealed that fact in front of two strangers.

Sasori and Gaara, meanwhile, were amused. They knew Sakura hadn't accidentally revealed the blonde's secret but had in fact put it out in the open to teach the girl a lesson on manners. Sasori smirked, not bothering to hide his amusement, while Gaara was a little more reserved and opted to simply close his eyes in contentment.

Eventually Ino came to the same conclusion as them.

"Fine, I get it," she snapped. "I'm sorry I was blunt, but an arranged marriage? Seriously? What century are we living in?"

Sakura shrugged easily, finishing off her omelet. She turned to Sasori. "You're going to become my personal breakfast cook from now on. If you can do this for such a simple meal, there's no way I'm missing the way you make other recipes." Sasori smiled at her and bowed his head.

"Sakura," Ino whined at being ignored.

Sakura pretended not to hear her and took two gulps of orange juice, finishing off her glass. She turned to Gaara. "Gaara, be a dear and get me some more juice, will you?"

Gaara opened his eyes and gave her a look, his arms crossed over his chest. Was she serious?

Sakura pouted. "Pretty please?"

After a couple tense seconds of indecision, Gaara sighed and stood up, taking her glass and heading to the counter where the jug filled with juice awaited him. While Gaara was filling up her glass, Sakura turned back to Ino and smiled, smug.

"So," she drawled, casually, and Ino became wary. She knew that tone. "How am I 'screwed,' Ino, if I have these pair of handsome boys by my side and doing everything I want them to for me?"

"I already apologized."

"Have you tried you omelet, yet, Ino?"

"Well, no-"

"Try it." A command.

Ino would've argued that she was not a dog to be ordered around, but she knew that by being rude she had to comply. Besides, it wasn't anything horrible. It was a perfectly-looking, and (admittedly) a delicious-smelling piece of art that she had been too focused on another thing to notice. The minute her senses attuned to the yellow roll, her stomach growled silently, and she sighed.

She took her cutlery and cut herself a decent-sized piece and placed it on her mouth, highly aware of Sakura's smug face on her as she ate.

That's when all hell broke loose. Again.

"Holy crow, that's unbelievably good!" Ino exclaimed. "Since when can you cook so well, Sakura?"

"In case you didn't notice, Ino, probably because you were ignoring everything but the topic at hand, it was actually Sasori–kun who so kindly made the omelet," Sakura answered, accepting her glass back from Gaara who then proceeded to return to his seat and cross his arms. "Gaara-kun, over here, made the juice, which is delicious. Try it too."

Ino complied, wary as ever, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Well, I'll be damned. How can you make juice taste so good?"

"That, my friend, is Gaara-kun's secret." Sakura turned to Gaara. "Will you please from now on be my tea and juice-maker?"

Gaara gave her a blank look. "Tea?"

"Yes, tea. I have a feeling you'll come up with some wicked flavors, and I do so love my tea."

"Tea…is for gentlemen. I'm not a gentleman."

"I say you are. You know, the worst critic one can have is oneself; so believe me. You are a gentleman. A quiet one, sure, but one nonetheless. So will you accept?"

Gaara was silent, and just kept looking at her.

"Fantastic!" Sakura chirped, leaving a bewildered Gaara to stare at her profile as she turned to face her best friend. "So you see, Ino, I'm not screwed to have a pair of extremely good-looking, talented, kind, funny, and _gentlemanly_ boys engaged to me. Especially since they treat me like a princess."

Ino snorted, having devoured her breakfast. "Fine, I get it. You know I didn't mean it the way it came out though, right?"

"Yep."

"You're a bitch sometimes, you know that?"

"Yep. But so are you." Ino grinned.

"And don't you forget it." She turned to Sasori. "You, my friend, are going to be doing a lot of cooking. Sakura's not shy when it comes to food. And also because if I find out you're going to be cooking, there's going to be another place on the table."

"A bit bossy, aren't you? And rude, inviting yourself over," commented Sakura, teasingly.

"Like you haven't done it," answered back the blonde. She turned to Gaara. "Sakura has a very good freaky sixth sense for people that's rarely wrong. If you do end up making awesome teas, expect me around to. I do so love my tea as well."

Gaara just glowered at her. He had never even agreed to make the stupid tea!

"Well now, darlings, it's been just fabulous to meet you, but I gotta run now. Ta-ta!" and with that, Ino had stood up and was out the door. Sakura scurried after her, yelling out of her front door into the air since the blonde kunoichi had already disappeared from view. "Don't you dare tell anyone else about this, Yamanaka! I want to explain this properly, and knowing you, you'll make this a soap opera!"

Ino's joyful voice rang back. "Too late! Your life has already become a soap opera!"

Sakura grunted, chuckling to herself quietly as she shut the door and headed back inside. When she looked up, she saw the two redheaded brothers leaning against the door frame of the kitchen. She raised an eyebrow at them.

"Well, so we're extremely good-looking?" smirked Gaara.

"And talented," added Sasori, as the tow shared a look and grinned.

"And kind, and funny…"

"And _gentlemanly_. Was there anything else you wanted to add to the list, my princess?"

Sakura giggled at their antics. "Oh, you guys are going to get big heads."

"Maybe. But only because of you, Sakura," said Sasori, walking over to her and drapping his arm across her shoulders.

"So you better take responsibility and marry one of us," Gaara said, walking over and snaking his arm around her waist. She was fighting back a blush now, because although Ino had been there for a while, the tow rascals had gone without putting on a damned shirt. They were still freaking topless, and the proximity had her mind getting foggy. "Because no one else will take such out-of-proportion guys," continued Gaara, ignorant to what the pinkette was feeling.

"Oh, p-please," scoffed Sakura.

"That's not a no," mused Sasori, craning his neck so that he was in eye-level with her.

"It's not a yes either," she countered.

"But it could be," Gaara said as he copied his brother. Sakura by now had failed miserably to hide her blush, and her face was red all the way to her roots.

"Oh, just g-go take a shower already. We have lots to do."

"Okay!" Both boys said simultaneously, and they both gave Sakura a peck on the lips before disappearing into their rooms before she could take a swing at either of them. Their chuckles could still be heard in the hallway.

"Idiots…" Sakura muttered as she cupped her cheeks. She turned on her heals to head back to her room to get ready, absentmindedly wondering why no-one was up yet after such a racket. When she looked up the stairs, she saw the faces of her mother, the Kazekage, and the tow other Sabaku kids grinning down at her before realizing that they had been discovered.

"Hey!" Sakura called out to them indignantly; too late since they had all poofed away.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. Today was just going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

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**I did this all in one day under a timeline, so I hope you review!**


	12. Chapter 12

_**FAD Chapter 12**_

**Alright! Alright! I'm updating now, please don't do anything drastic! I'm sorry, but you wouldn't believe the writer's block I had on this. And I may have written a new story... or two...**

**Hey now, don't give me that look. I just have two quick announcements, then reviews and then the much-anticipated story, so please have a bit of patience. **

**First, I have written the COMPLETE summaries of all my stories - and by all, I mean both my written stories and the ones I'm PLANNING to write.**

**Second, I've set up a poll where you can vote for which upcoming story you're looking forward to the most. This might be of interest to you as I have a GaaSaku and a SasoSaku story. So please check out my summaries (which are on my profile) and vote! Now on to the reviews!**

**SaturnXK****thank you and yes, I love Ino too. And thanks for the heads up, I've fixed it now!**

**xSakuraWings**** Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll keep the cuteness throughout the story, but this is a slightly more serious chapter. Hope you enjoy nonetheless, and I agree, these two redheads are the best!**

**Coolio****consider it done! (I'm doing it, aren't I?) And I'm on it! **

**miikodesu**** if she just chooses one right away, where's the fun in that? But don't worry, I promise you that a choice will be made in the end.**

**Cindy Medeiros and that, my friend, is where the dilema lies. Don't worry, I have a few adventures up my sleeve to sort them out.**

**xXxMusicNCookiesxXx**** woah there, haha. Awesome review, foremost. And I know, this is actually a dilema for me too becuase I love both the redheads TONS. And I'm determined to keep the fluff, so you can look forward to that in the future. But for the safety of your brother, I think I'll keep the Team 7's boys out of the engagement.**

**Unknown-Ai no problem on both counts. Thank you for reviewing!**

**yuikiyaya **** thank you for your determination to read my story!**

**Miya Simusa**** haha, thank you, and yes, I do know what you mean. You know something cool? My friends call me that too, so your comment really made me smile!**

**iwuvcookieandponyyahoo,com****haha, yes, yes it is. **

**Kireicomplex**** sigh, yes, it's going to be a hard decision for Sakura (mainly becuase I can't choose!)**

**Animefangirl95****thanks for all your wonderful reviews! And yes, I don't get arranged marriages (as I made a point of writing about in Sakura's, Sasori's and Gaara's POV) and I'm glad you like how I portrayed the guys.**

**Lil Leif **** glad to know, and thanks for the heads up! I promise I revised this chapter to make sure there were no mistakes.**

**Haha, thanks to you all my wonderful reviewers. You're the reason I write and update in the first place, so this chapter/update goes to the 13 of you who wrote me something. Dayum! Now on to the story! PLEASE READ, REVIEW AND ENJOY!**

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Sasori and Gaara had quickly showered and cleaned up both themselves and the room they were sharing, though they almost regretted being that fast since now they had nothing to do as they waited for Sakura to finish getting ready to go out. The pink-headed kunoichi wanted to show them around the village and hopefully bump into some of her friends to introduce them and dispel any exaggerations Ino had made up. Neither of the boys doubted for a second that that was the case after their first-hand experience with the blonde girl.

Gaara made himself comfortable by leaning against the front doorway of the little house with his arms crossed and his head slightly bowed while Sasori sat a little ways away on the couch, his back straight and one leg crossed over the other as he cupped his cheek, bored. Sakura didn't take long getting ready like so many girls he knew, but he simply wasn't a man of patience.

After a few more minutes of silence, with only the occasional sound coming from Sakura's bedroom on the second floor, Sasori finally spoke. "So, Gaara… What do you think of our little fiancée?" he asked in his signature lackadaisical manner.

Gaara barely raised his head and levelled his gaze at his brother, who wasn't even looking at him but out the window. He didn't answer for a few seconds before speaking; slowly like Sasori, but the difference was that Sasori spoke as if he was uninterested in anything while he chose his words with care, which was what he was doing. "I think she might just be the girl that can get us to marry."

"Hmm. I do believe you're right on that."

"What about you, Sasori? What do you think of her?"

"From what I've seen so far, which admittedly isn't much, I'd say she is indeed a rare jewel we are lucky to have in our company. I certainly wouldn't mind having her for my wife."

Gaara snorted. "Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"

Sasori finally looked his way, giving him the tiniest of crooked smirks. "But that's what we're here for, little brother. Dreaming big, getting the big picture with that lovely creature as the centerpiece." He shrugged, returning his attention out the window once more. "It's true I do not know Sakura that well, but I'm certainly not opposed to changing that fact."

Gaara was silent for a moment. "So you're serious?"

"You'll have to explain yourself better, Gaara. Serious about…?"

"The engagement. You're really going to court her? Be willing to honestly marry her?"

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It's not!" Gaara said immediately. "It's not. But really, Sasori, you have a bit of a reputation as a ladies' man back in Suna. It's just a bit hard imagining you getting serious about a girl, especially since the ultimate goal is to marry her, not just date her."

"My, you're chatty today," Sasori chuckled, and Gaara glowered at him in response. Sasori held his hands up, showing the youngest Sabaku he wasn't looking for a fight. "Fine then. I may possibly like Sakura. She's quite the doll."

"Do not compare her to your puny puppets, Sasori," cautioned Gaara, sending his brother a glare, who, being used to Gaara's glares by now, merely shrugged it off.

"Oh, I would never," Sasori said as he raised his arms above his head, stretching and surprising Gaara. Whenever he insulted the older redhead's puppets, there was always an argument. "She's far more exquisite than any puppet I can ever hope to make. She's a work of art, one that I, as an artist, can appreciate absolutely."

Gaara snorted, rolling his eyes. He had heard Sasori talk about art all his life, and frankly, he was bored of listening to him rant about it by now. "I'm no 'artist,' but I can appreciate her as well. Perhaps better than you," he said. Sasori raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you really?"

Gaara, for once, wasn't a hundred percent sure, but he wasn't about to tell his brother that. He _wanted_ to be a hundred percent sure. So he just nodded once, sharply, as he recalled their grandmother Chiyo's favourite quote: "where there's a will, there's a way." And truly, at the moment there was nothing Gaara wanted more than being able to appreciate Sakura, and in that, he hoped in wining her affection.

Sasori hummed as he considered his brother's silent answer. He was thinking that maybe, for once, he and his brother had finally found something in common, something to agree on. While normally that would be something to rejoice in, this particular mutual goal was tricky. Sasori acknowledged that his brother was a great adversary. How good he was in matters of the heart was another story, but in any case, if they were both to proceed with the engagement then Sasori would have to be extra careful. Honestly, two very competitive brothers fighting for the same girl couldn't end well. If that was truly the case, it could prove to be either something great or something fatal to their relationship.

While Sasori was lost in his musings, Gaara cast a longing look at the stairs. He enjoyed the pink-haired kunoichi's company, but simply couldn't understand what was taking her so long. While he may be more patient than his older brother, he didn't have much patience when it came to dealing with him. When there was no sight of Sakura, Gaara sighed, disappointed, and turned back towards his brother, who startled him by looking straight at him.

"What?"

"I was just thinking…" Sasori said, slowly.

"Don't hurt yourself, now." Gaara mocked him.

Sasori snorted at him. "Funny. Immature brat." He shook his head for effect before continuing. "As I was saying, I was thinking. You should back out."

Gaara stood frozen there, unblinking. What did Sasori just say?

Sasori, knowing Gaara's body language, explained. "Think for a minute, brat. Two brothers competing for the same girl. What do you think would be the consequences should she pick one of us? Keep in mind that if that happens it's a permanent deal." He gave Gaara two seconds before continuing, "Our relationship, strained as it may be at times, is strong, and this competition may wreck it. So why don't you back out?"

This time Gaara answered. "Why don't you?" he growled. "At least you have plenty of girls who would be more than happy to be yours. Sakura is, as far as anyone, including myself, is concerned, the only girl who can quite possibly accept me. Seeing it that way, shouldn't it make sense that you be the one to back out?"

Sasori shook his head, smiling innocently. "I don't want to," he teased his brother, who growled at his childish answer. Sasori answered again, this time properly. "Ah, but you see, a lot of those girls are just friends, and those that are interested in me that way are not quite as beautiful as my doll."

"She's not yours, Sasori."

"Yet." Gaara growled, annoyed at his brother's cockiness. Sasori sent him a lazy smirk. He stood up slowly, stretched once more and moved his head from side to side, cracking it a few times in satisfactory snaps before walking leisurely towards his younger brother, who regarded him warily.

Sasori stood in front of Gaara, both brothers staring at each other unflinchingly and adamantly; Sasori looking bored albeit his eyes portrayed slight amusement while Gaara looked as cold and slightly annoyed as he usually did when Sasori was messing around. Sasori stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned forward so his mouth was beside the younger redhead's ear.

"What do you say, then, to a little bet?" he breathed quietly, barely loud enough for Gaara to hear him.

Gaara paused for a moment before answering. "Bet? What are you planning now, Sasori?" he asked suspiciously. Sasori leaned back and straightened up, though his pose remained relaxed. He was about an inch taller than Gaara, which annoyed the latter to no end.

Sasori spoke. "It simply occurred to me that we have been competing about everything all our lives. Why not end our childish childhood rivalry now, with this? This engagement is a serious, delicate matter for grown-ups, which we are considering how deeply it involves us. So how about one last competition?"

Gaara frowned. "You see Sakura as a prize?" The idea itself was repellent to him. He didn't know her that well, but he knew that she was not something to be won and she most certainly wouldn't appreciate being seen as something of the like.

"Of a sort," Sasori shrugged. "But not a petty prize like winning an argument or getting a shinny medal. It is a prize which has been fought for for millennia. We're not the first to take up arms for it, and certainly not the last. At least, I would hope not, else I'd worry for humanity's future."

"Cut to the chase, Sasori. What are you rambling on about?"

Sasori grinned slyly. "Are you really so daft, little brother? I'm talking about love, and the fight for one's mate. Men, and many women for that matter, have endured endless hardships, fought many battles and used all means at their disposal to try to sway fate in their favour in order that they may marry the person of their choice. As it stands, we two are no different. Siblings becoming love rivals is not that uncommon in history either."

Gaara remained silent as Sasori spoke, and remained so for a minute after as he considered his brother's words. The two had been rivals since they were born, that was true. It would only make sense that they would be rivals in love as well. Besides, the thought of backing down and letting Sasori claim and take Sakura away set Gaara's blood boiling. He had as much chance with the pink-haired beauty as his older brother did, and it was a tempting and probably the sole chance he had of finding a suitable wife he could hold feelings for and have those feelings reciprocated.

The idea was dangerously seducing to Gaara, who was far from loved or accepted in his village outside of his family for circumstances he could not control. He looked up at Sasori, whose face morphed back into that bored, impassive face of his; all traces of amusement or even joking gone. It was then that Gaara realized his brother was serious. It wasn't a game for Sasori; he also was truly fighting for the chance for being chosen to be by Sakura's side. But the question that manifested in the back of Gaara's mind was, was Sasori fighting just to be by Sakura's side just to smite him or for her love because he loved her? The pinkette deserved to be loved, not to be coveted for simple rivalry reasons.

But that thought led to another question: if Gaara won in the end, could he love her? Sure, he liked her well enough and she seemed to like him (or at least, he hoped), but he couldn't guarantee he would love her as a wife, as his lover.

Before Gaara could finalize his thoughts on the subject, Sasori impatiently interrupted him. "Well, are you going to agree with me or not? Will you officially become my love rival and fight me like a man for Sakura's hand, or just try to court her to appease the deal our parents made?" Gaara's attention snapped on Sasori at that moment. The way Sasori put it, it all became clear.

Sasori was serious about courting Sakura, not for the sake of a decade-old deal between the two families but because he was genuinely interested in the pinkette.

Second, he was giving Gaara the choice between doing the honourable thing – which was manning up like him and competing for her hand like a man – or being the passive, obedient dog and doing what he was told just for the sake of doing it.

And third, Gaara realized that he too found himself to be serious about the engagement for the mere reason that it gave him the chance to meet the doe-eyed girl with the pink locks and the opportunity to fight for the her affections.

"She is the ultimate prize, then," he stated with his new understanding lighting the way.

"Indeed," Sasori nodded. "So you finally get it The bet is that I can get Sakura to fall in love with, and ultimately choose, me. You, of course, bet the same but with you instead of me as the winner. Understand?"

"Indeed," echoed Gaara. "I do believe I accept your challenge, _rival_." He smirked, raising his hand. "May the best man win."

Sasori took Gaara's hand in his own and shook it. "Indeed, that sounds about right…brat." He smirked back at him. "Let the competition begin."

It was at that moment that Sakura appeared. "Sorry about that, guys, but I had to get some things ready. I hope you didn't wait lo…" She stopped mid-sentence, seeing the two brothers' handshake, which dissolved once she came down the stairs. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two.

"Not at all, doll," Sasori said with a small, gentlemanly smile as he walked towards her. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, with a small bow in her direction. "May I say you look beautiful right now."

Sakura allowed a small blush to tint her cheeks. "O-oh, this is nothing, really…" she murmured, embarrassed. Sasori smirked at himself, while Gaara silently fumed. Sasori was really sucking up, wasn't he? Gaara decided that it was his turn.

"Hello, blossom," he said in his husky, low baritone voice as he approached the two. Sakura turned to face him, unconsciously slipping her hand out of Sasori's grasp in order to grasp the younger's, which surprised both boys.

"Gaara," she greeted him with a smile. "You ready to go?"

"I am," he confirmed with a nod of his head. Sakura gave him a small smile before letting go of his hand to go get her shoes. Gaara sent a smug smirk at his brother, who wasn't all that thrilled, but chose to remain silent.

Sakura came back quickly, and grasped the boys' hands so that each flanked her. The formation again surprised both boys, which ended in a bigger surprise when she didn't let their hands go after they stepped through the door. When she met their inquiring gazes, she blushed cutely, looking at her feet.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked. "Since you two are my fiancés, I thought it would be more obvious, plus I think it's simply kind of nice…"

Sasori chuckled, and Sakura turned her face towards him as he intertwined their fingers and grasped her little pale hand tighter in his broader tanned one. "If you want to hold hands, that's fine with me, doll," he murmured in a seducing tone as he nuzzled her hand, his half-lidded golden eyes gazing at her warmly. Sakura immediately felt heat raise up her neck, and so averted her attention before he could see her blush turn her into a human tomato. Sasori took this opportunity to shoot his brother a smug smirk over the girl's head. He was so going to win the competition.

Gaara, annoyed at the cheesy although effective display, was otherwise unfazed as he pulled his move. He simply tightened his hold on Sakura's and ran his thumb in slow, lazy circles on the back of her hand, and said nothing else as he let their eyes meet; his eyes warm and gentle for once – only for her – and hers kind and flustered at the quiet but intense attention the younger brother was bestowing upon her. Once again, she swivelled her head to the front so as to hide the rapidly raising blush.

"Come on, guys," she said, fighting for control of her skin color and body temperature as she pulled the two brothers away from the residential area and into the heart of the village. How did these guys do that to her? "The sooner we get on with the damage control, the sooner we'll be done."

"As you wish, doll."

"Hn."

This time, Sakura didn't bother looking at either of them, which was fine with them for they shared one last look before they focused on their new task of being the courtiers and rivals. They were both determined to win their bet.

The look they shared was an echo of their earlier words. _May the best man win_.


	13. Chapter 13

**TO MY DEAR READERS**

**I apologize that this is not an update, but a very important author's note. So please read.**

**I am posting this to inform you that I have re-read this story and have become dissatisfied with it, not only with the plot so far but also with the plot in the future, which I have struggled with to create. Truth be told, when I first though up this story I had quite slightly different plot from the one I've written, so I think I'll start writing that one.**

**What I mean to say, my dear readers, is that I am going to delete this story only to RE-WRITE IT. I am not satisfied with it so far, adn I feel terrible for not updating for ridiculous amounts of time because I can't think of a suitable plot to connect some events I've created for it.  
**

**I am truly, greatly sorry to all of you who supported and favored me and my story; sadly, this is part of an author's life. If the author isn't into it, then the story is not great. I want to provide my readers with good stories, and the way this one is going, well...  
**

**So yeah. I can't apologize enough to all of you out there, but I'll just repeat this: **

**I'M NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY, I'M MERELY GOING TO RE-WRITE IT.**

**I think that if you choose to read the re-write, you'll be content. I've doing a lot of writing on the side, and I truly think it's made me a much better writer. So, until I re-post this story, feel free to read some of my other ones, and vote in my poll! I have a lot of up-coming stories ready to go, so vote on your favorite one :)**

**Once again, I deeply apologize, but I'd rather do this than to simply give up on the story.**

**Look forward to the new version (though I'm not sure when I'll put that up .)!**

**~_AnimaAmore_**


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